


12 Days of Nayru

by Zaypay



Series: Adventure Across Lifetimes [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Bad Cooking, Brotherly Bonding, Christmas, Dancing and Singing, Fluff, Hugs, Humor, I didn't tag every character because I'd be here all day, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Music, POV Multiple, Parties, everyone gets a chapter, happy holidays!, lots and lots of music, so many hugs, sorry i had to, used to be light angst buuuut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:35:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27818371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaypay/pseuds/Zaypay
Summary: Nayru’s Day is fast approaching. The heroes spend time together, along with the friends they made along the way.OR:12+1 stories for everyone in Linked Universe and more! Happy holidays!
Relationships: Artemis & Warriors (Linked Universe), Blue Link & Green Link & Red Link & Vio Link, Daruk & Link & Mipha & Revali & Urbosa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Four & Wind (Linked Universe), Hylia & Link (Legend of Zelda), Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe), Linkle (Legend of Zelda) & Warriors (Linked Universe), Malon (Legend of Zelda)/Time (Linked Universe), Sky/Sun (Linked Universe), Sun & Lullaby & Artemis & Dawn & Aurora & Flora & Dusk & Tetra & Fable & Dot
Series: Adventure Across Lifetimes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2005027
Comments: 75
Kudos: 112





	1. A Loftwing in a Carved Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the new Christmas-ish themed series! Every chapter is based on the 12 Days of Christmas song, counting up to, well 12. when I say everyone gets a chapter, I mean everyone. So, get ready for some fluff, a tiny bit of angst (because I can't resist putting it in), and fun!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky being an artist while reminiscing

Sky woke from his sleep with a start. The sheets were warm against his cool skin, letting the breeze from the window lower the temperature as he slept that night. Saying it was night was an overstatement: it was just an hour or so before dawn, when the sun hadn’t yet revealed its shining form to the still sleeping world yet. Sky took a look around the room, making sure he wouldn’t wake anyone, before tiptoeing into a shirt, grabbing his pack and carefully stepping out of the room.

It was the most beautiful day Sky had ever seen. The view from the City in the Sky was breathtaking and reminded him of Skyloft. The clouds rolled like fluffy white hills and was painted a beautiful shade of blue that faded into orange just above the horizon, wisps of the clouds high above appearing like unfinished brushstrokes. The sun didn’t dare to peek its bright head over the edge of the world, staying asleep just out of sight before it followed its daily path across the world. Sky adored the familiar sight, not regretting waking up in the slightest.

The stars shattered the relatively calm sky like a million broken lights, hung by an invisible string in the open expanse, filling it. Sky could practically reach out and scoop a handful of the blue, pooling delicately in his hands, sprinkled with stars, until he let it flow out and back into its place. He felt each glowing dot melt from his grasp, remembering the feeling of holding the weight of the world calmly in his hands rather than heavily on his shoulders before he reached into his pack and pulled out a block of wood. He dangled his legs over the side of the island, not paying any mind to the plummet below his suspended feet as he grabbed a carving knife.

He placed the blade on the wood, closing his eyes to visualize what he wanted to make, before he set about the process of carving. And so he chipped away, letting the scraps of wood fall onto his lap gently as the rain fell from the clouds. And they kept falling.

Falling.

Falling.

_Falling . _

_ Link pushed aside the branches as he approached the clearing. The weather was like nothing he’d ever seen before: it was cold, no freezing in a way it wasn’t back on Skyloft. The sky was a sea of gray with only patches of it being lighter. The familiar blue was nowhere in sight. The ground was frozen over, hard as rock, and it hurt to fall on. Link learned the hard way when Zelda pulled a prank on him the other day. His butt still hurt from where he landed. _

_ He tightened the scarf around his neck. Zelda made it for him when the temperature dropped a few weeks ago, and he almost never took it off. It smelled good... like her. The gloves were doing a decent job keeping his fingers from falling off, the only issue with his outfit was his nose and long ears, which were still exposed to the cold. He refused to wear a hat though, and he never would after he was forced to for the entirety of his adventure. _

_ Icicles hung from the frozen tree branches, providing a tiny, frosted window from which Link could look through and see the world bent out of shape. Or maybe it was in its proper form. He shook away his pseudo philosophical thoughts. The foretelling and thinking was Zelda’s job: the only thing Link had to do was kill things. And he hated that job. _

_ He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally saw her. Zelda stood alone in the middle of the clearing, staring up at the sky with the brightest smile on her face. Goddess, she was beautiful. She glowed softly, with a golden light almost as brilliant as her hair. The magic he could feel radiating from her was almost as blue as her eyes. But nothing in the world could compare to Zelda’s smile, which he alone was privy to at the moment. And he’d savor it forever. She turned to him as he walked towards her slowly, the smile growing even wider as he grew closer. _

_ “Your finally here,” she beamed. Link couldn’t help but return the expression. “The weather is very different. I wonder— do you perhaps think it will rain?” _

_ Rain. Of course. That would explain the clouds. Link felt like an idiot sometimes. “With the sky looking like this, I think it just might.” _

_ Zelda stared at the sky a little harder. “Perhaps, or maybe it will be something different.” _

_ “Something like?” Link asked. She shook her head and held out her hand expectantly.  _

_“Something like... this!” Zelda all but shouted as something fell into her hand. It looked like some sort of white ash a nd landed gently into Zelda’s open palm. Link approached her curiously and looked at the strange substance. _

_ “What is it?” He placed his own hand out and caught some of it, bringing the white powder closer to his face for observation. _

_ “Snow,” she said confidently, earning her a questioning look from Link. _

_ “I would think this is what rain is like when it gets this cold,” Link remarked, leaving Zelda impressed. _

_ “Yes, I guess the same. I suppose this is better than a storm.”  _

_ Link watched as she flipped her hand over, letting the snow that had collected float to the ground. Falling. _

_ Falling. _

_ Falling. _

Falling.

Wood scraps had collected in Sky’s lap and he brushed them off. He set down the statue which was now vaguely resembling a tree with a large mass sitting on top by his side, taking the opportunity to stretch when familiar footsteps crept up slowly from behind. He let his eyes rest on Warriors who’d taken a seat beside him. The captain stared in awe at the beauty of the morning.

“So this is what Skyloft is like?” He asked, more to himself than to Sky.

“Yes, every morning,” Sky practically sang. Warriors turned to him in mild amusement.

“You strike me as a happy man today. I’m glad to see it.” Sky hummed in response.

“It’s just so much like home, I can’t bring myself to be sad or upset. Why would I be anyway, with a view like this.”

Warriors let the breeze run through his hair. “Yea, your right.” They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, just admiring the sight before them.

“What are making?” He asked after some time. Sky turned the small figure around in his hand and smiled at it.

“Something that reminds me of home, I think,” he answered simply. Warriors stared at it for some time before giving up and getting to his feet.

“Wild’s already started breakfast, so I’ll call you when it’s ready. See you later and good luck,” Warriors said, waving before he left.

Sky picked up his work and looked it over. He still had a ways to go, but he was making significant progress. Looks like his years of practice was finally paying off. He pushed the knife back into the wood, this time creating a shallower indent. It was time he worked on the details of the piece, now that he had the general shape and dimensions worked out. The breeze, which seemed to be picking up as the sky lightened, swept his hair back from his face, swirling the dark blonde locks behind his head. He let the feeling of the rushing wind fuel his movements.

He could practically feel his legs working.

_ Running as he reached the edge. _

_ And he jumped. _

_ Link savored the exhilaration of the wind rushing past his body, the weightlessness of falling he’d missed so much now that he lived on the surface. He brought his fingers up to his lips, whistled, and waited until he heard the shrill screech of the enormous bird and felt its feathers brush up beneath his fingers as it caught him mid air. Link ran his hands over his companion’s neck. He missed the feeling more than he could ever imagine, and just that simple act nearly made him sob. His loftwing, the other half to his very soul, his lifelong friend. Link was glad that he’d at least always be there for him.  _

_ Zelda flew lower to Link’s level, smiling at him from atop Light. The bird’s blue feathers blended beautifully with the sky, while Crimson’s red wings were a clear beacon to the hero that his friend was near. Zelda grinned at him and Link got the odd feeling of deja vú from the whole situation. Snow fell rapidly from the clouds, forcing the feeling away. _

_ “Link,” Zelda called out. He turned to her. “I love you.” _

_ Link smiled back. “I love you too.” _

The breeze died, and so did the memory, floating in pieces far away from the City in the Sky. Sky watched as they did, hoping the sentiments and emotions in it would carry across time itself and to the person he’d said those words to. He glanced down at the his work. The loftwing’s wings stretched gradually behind it as the bird rested peacefully atop the tree it’d made its nest in. Satisfied with the amount of detail, Sky put away his carving knives and pulled out his paints. Another presence soon took Warriors long abandoned place by his side, though this time sitting a little further back from the edge. Hyrule peeked over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of the figure.

“Is that one of those bird things you talk about?” He asked, surprising Sky.

“Yea, it is. How’d you know?”

Hyrule shrugged happily. “I try to remember everything you guys say. I make sure to write it down in my journal so I don’t forget.” Sky then noticed the green leather notebook in the traveler’s hands. “Speaking of which, mind if I join you for a bit while I write some things down?”

Sky gave him a warm half smile. “No need to ask. Company is always welcomed, especially yours, Rule.” Hyrule blushed pink, making Sky chuckle gently. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled before turning his attention to whatever he was writing. 

Sky began painting the bird red and white with a bright yellow beak, the same as his own loftwing, before painting the trunk of the tree brown and the leaves a mixture of blue and green, giving it an ethereal look. He then worked on perfecting the base, making it a deeper shade of blue-green than the leaves of the tree, adding specks of other colors to give it life. It dried rather quickly, thanks to the wind.

“Wow,” Hyrule whispered, his eyes wide. “That’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Sky replied, handing the carving to Hyrule to observe more closely. He took it gingerly and admired the craftsmanship.

“Where’d you learn how to do this?”

“My mother before she died. I practiced a lot and it took a while, but now I love it.” Sky took the figure back from Hyrule’s offering hands.

“Can you teach me?” Hyrule asked nervously. Sky grinned and ruffled his hair.

“Of course. Though, I tried teaching Wind and his didn’t exactly turn out as expected.” He recalled how the sailor had worked way too fast and with not enough confidence, ending up with a blob of wood that, if you squinted hard enough, resembled something. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell the hero the truth, so he let him take his creation to Warriors and show it off proudly.

“That’s alright, I’ve got patience,” Hyrule said brightly before looking back at the view. “Do you miss home?”

Sky was a bit shocked by the bluntness of the question, but he still answered as best as he could. “I do, but I think I miss the people I left behind more than the place itself. Skyloft was great, but I always felt the worse when I had to say goodbye to my loved ones. Especially this time.”

“Zelda,” Hyrule filled in. Sky hummed. “I’m sorry if the question was a bit... out of nowhere. You just looked like Wild when he was lost in a memory. I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

Sky placed a hand on the traveler’s back. “Thanks for that. I think I’m good, just remembering something is all.”

“What was it? It was involving Sun right?” Hyrule’s curiosity got the best of him and he couldn’t help but question his friend.

“Well, when we first got to the surface, I didn’t know what-“

“Guys, breakfast is ready! Come before Legend eats it all!” Warriors called and was soon followed by shouts from the veteran hero. Sky stood and brushed the nonexistent dust off his tunic before offering Hyrule a hand that he graciously took.

“After breakfast then,” Sky said accepting the younger hero’s smile with one of his own before he turned away from the horizon, where his sun had finally shown its brilliant head and began to rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sky/Sun is so cute. Also, this chapter was partially inspired by "Across the Universe" by The Beatles. Thanks for reading!


	2. Two Ocarinas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time travels and sees his daughter and pup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super minor warning for vague mentions of death

Time breathed in the familiar smell of hay and grass. He held out his arms as if welcoming the ranch in an embrace and closed his eyes, turning his head up to the darkening sky.

“It’s good to be back.”

“Yea yea old man, let’s just head inside, it’s freezing out here!” Legend shouted, already making his way across the snow-covered grass. The others followed suit, with only Twilight staying by Time’s side after shooing off Wild. He looked at the older hero with a grin on his face.

“Are you excited to see her?” He asked playfully.

“Of course,” Time said. “It’s been, what three months? Do you think she’s forgotten me?”

Twilight gave him a look that said ‘that’s a ridiculous question’ before walking ahead, leaving Time to shake his head at his own silly worries. He entered the main house and found it to already be buzzing with activity. Wild and Malon were chatting in the kitchen while Sky, Four, and Warriors were rearranging furniture. Legend and Wind were setting up a large tree in the corner of the room while Hyrule was cleaning out the barn for them to sleep. Twilight closed the door behind Time as he entered and they both took off their bags and set them aside.

“I’m back!” Time shouted, and Malon ran out of the kitchen to be swept up into her husband’s arms. He spun her around before stopping to kiss her, which the others except for Twilight groaned at.

“Can you two get a room? Oh wait, you already have,” Legend said smugly, getting a smack on the back of the head from Warriors. The two bickered in the background while the married couple chatted.

“How’s she doing?”

“Oh she’s great, she’s taking a nap right now in our room if you want to go see her,” Malon said happily. “But keep it down, if you wake her, she’ll never go back to sleep.”

Time nodded and slipped away from the loud area down the hall and to his room. He gently pushed open the door, tiptoeing through the entrance and to the cradle that sat on Malon’s side of the bed. Navi was sleeping peacefully, her little head tilting to the side as she dreamed. Tufts of strawberry blonde hair peeked out beneath her little cap, the fiery red ends framing her tiny face. Time desperately wanted to hold her, but he resisted the urge to and let her continue her sleep. He didn’t want to wake his sleeping princess. 

Instead, he hummed a short lullaby he’d written during the long, lonely nights where he’d taken the first watch. It was short and simple, but he wanted it to be like that so she could remember it when she was older. He walked out of the room and was quickly cornered by Malon at the doorway. She grinned at him with pride. 

“How is she?”

“Perfect as ever,” Time replied. “What... what’s she learned so far?”

Malon our her hands on her hip and looked at him with mild irritation. “She’s only three months old, Link, not five. There’s really not that much you’ve missed. And besides,” she grabbed his hand and let the expression melt into a smile, “you’ll always be there for her, no matter what.”

Time swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, keeping his eyes down. Everything Malon was saying was a little hard to believe, considering he’d nearly died at least a hundred times already. She linked her arm in his and the two walked into dining room where dinner was already served. Afterward, the others retreated to the barn to sleep for the night while Twilight and Time took a stroll around the ranch. The night air was still, the daytime breeze having died to only a slight puff, but it was still freezing out. The duo eventually settled on the bench admiring the night time view of the ranch. 

“Missed it?” Twilight asked.

“How could I not? Everything that’s most important to me besides you guys is here, after all. I wouldn’t leave it for the world.” Time suddenly felt the prick of tears in his eyes and quickly blinked them away. Twilight noticed and chuckled lightly.

“Gettin’ all sentimental on me, are ya old man?” He turned back to the night sky and let a look of sorrow briefly flash across his features before going back to smiling. ‘I wouldn’t wanna leave either. I don’t know how you do it every time, I wouldn’t be able to. But I guess that’s what makes you you.”

Time’s heart hurt with guilt at Twilight’s words. All this time he’d been leaving Malon alone, especially when she needed him most. He wished he had more time with them, that he could stay as long as he wished, that he could experience the memories and milestones he’d never be there for. His fingers tapped at his waist and an idea suddenly struck him. He grabbed the Ocarina of Time from his belt and let his hands wrap around it. He could use it, fulfill his wishes, and come back like nothing ever happened. 

He glanced at Twilight, who’s eyes were glazed over as he was lost thought. It was risky. He hated using it unless he absolutely had to. Time had already seen the consequences of his travels: hearing the story of how Wind’s world was flooded, or Legend’s and Hyrule’s adventures were proof of that. But Sky had also mentioned he’d done something similar, and the timeline remained intact after. With that in mind, Time decided to try it. He brought the ocarina to his lips and closed his eyes before playing the Song of Time.

He knew the world was turning white, mostly from experience. So he kept his eyes shut until he played the last note, only opening them when he heard the swaying of leaves and approaching footsteps. He turned to see a child, no older than 9 walking into a large clearing. She had tears in her eyes, but refused to let them spill over, instead keeping her head down and shuffling over to a stump in the ground. She apparently didn’t see Time, so he followed her a few steps back. 

She stood before the stump, and Time realized it was a tree sprout. The Great Deku Tree sprout he’d planted years ago. It’d grown a little since he last saw it. A smile was still plastered onto its wooden face, and its voice remained high and airy as it spoke.

“Hello, child of courage, what brings you to these woods?” Child of courage? That was a strange title for the girl. Time didn’t sense the pull of the Triforce or the Hero’s Spirit from her either.

“I- I got lost,” she hiccuped, wiping away the tears that’d fallen with the back of her blue sleeve. “I was looking for daddy and I got lost.” Time wanted to reach out and hug the girl, but he wasn’t sure if he could even interact with anything, considering he seemed to be invisible.

“Oh child, your father is...” the sprout paused, apparently thinking over an answer. “He’s gone away to sleep with the goddesses. He is much happier where he is now.” Time mentally thanked the sprout for his delicacy with the girl. 

“B-But I want to see him.”

The tiny tree branches swayed slightly in the wind. “You will, one day when you're old enough. I promise, but for now, would you like to show me something that reminds you of him?”

The girl eyed the tree and Time was struck with an eerie familiarity with their color. Bright blue, and her hair beneath her cap was a soft blonde with red-

He gasped and nearly fell over. It couldn’t be. She nodded and pulled out a wooden ocarina from her little bag, the same one Saria had given him so long ago. It fit perfectly in her hands. She put the instrument to her mouth and played a lullaby, the same lullaby Time had been composing for months before his return to the ranch. The one he’d sung to Navi as she slept. He didn’t realize he’d been crying until his vision started to blur. He quickly cleaned his face and continued watching, feeling the hole in his heart grow larger until it felt like it’d swallow him whole. 

“That was great, little fairy,” the sprout said brightly. “And on the Fairy Ocarina, no less! I’m sure your father would be proud.” Time bit his lip and nodded. He definitely was. The little girl gave him a toothy grin. She was missing a few teeth, but it was still an adorable expression. A voice that sounded like Malon rang from where she’d entered the clearing. Time wondered how the two had gotten into the Kokiri Forest.

“I’ll see you later, Great Deku Tree!” She called as she sprinted away. He stood in silence, staring at the spot where she’d been. His daughter. Navi. Until the sprout spoke.

“It’s been quite a long time since you last visited, Hero.” 

“Too long, perhaps,” Time sighed. He rubbed his eye tiredly before looking at his palms. “Why was I sent here?”

“It was your wish,” he responded. “It’s your proof.”

“Proof of what?” Time whispered, but he really felt like screaming. Anger bubbled in his chest. “Proof that I’m a shitty father? That I’ll never be there for my wife? For my daughter?”

The sprout stayed silent for a few moments. Time turned away, he couldn’t stand to see the smile on its face. 

“It’s proof that you were always there, and never forgotten.”

Time whipped his head to glance at the trees fading form. He hadn’t realized everything was turning white again. The sprout spoke one last time.

“Have courage, hero, and none will ever forget you.”

He felt the floor give way from under him and Time was falling, clocks and cogs surrounding him. Nothing new, but he couldn’t help but panic. He landed with a soft plop on the floor of a treehouse. He sighed and rubbed his behind before glancing around the room before realizing he was in Twilight’s house. He stood and tried to open the door, but— predictably— he was unable to. Time looked at the bed and saw Twilight’s sleeping form. He looked exhausted, beat up, and singed all over. Time briefly wondered when he was before he shook away the mounting guilt and walked over to the table, where a paper sat next to an open box. 

....

_ Dear Time, _

_ I found this in the woods. It reminded me of the one you had when we traveled together. How long ago was that? For me, it was maybe 5 years ago, but honestly, who knows. You're probably confused as to how I’m writing this letter to you, thing is, I don’t even know if you’ll get this. I’m writing this more for me than you but who knows, Hylia can be a bitch. I want to see you again, but I don’t have the Ocarina of Time, and you're gone from my time too. I guess I just miss you. Things just aren’t the same without you guys. Not worse though, I still have Ilia and Colin and everyone in the village. But... it’s hard, going back to ‘normal’, whatever that is. _

_ I need to wrap this up. Can’t believe I’m getting all sentimental on you. You never were one for crying.  _

_ Till the next lifetime. _

_ ~Pup _

....

The world lightened again. Time to go. He glanced inside the box. The Fairy Ocarina sat inside, sporting a few new scratches as some chipped pieces. The world fell away again and Time clutched at his chest as he struggled to breathe. A hand stayed on his back and a muffled voice tried to calm him.

“Time!” Twilight said in a panicked voice. Time turned to him and blinked a few times, readjusting himself to the darkness of the night sky. His protégé’s face was the very picture of concern. “What’s wrong? What did you-“

He stopped as his gaze fell upon the ocarina in Time’s hand. “Did you use it?” Time nodded, staying silent. “What’d you see?”

Time opened his mouth but closed it soon after. He stared into Twilight’s eyes before wrapping him in an enormous embrace. The farmhand was a little unsure of how to react but returned the gesture. Time took a few shaky breaths before pulling back.

“Things I wish I didn’t miss.”

━━━ O ━━━

Navi sat beside her father as he worked on polishing the Ocarina of Time. He put it down on the table in front of him and turned his head to see his daughter eyeing the instrument with curiosity in her enormous blue eyes. Time smiled and was tempted to give it to her, but he decided against giving a tool of the goddesses to a 3-month-old baby.

He instead pulled out his Fairy Ocarina and gently placed the instrument in her chubby little hands. She proceeded to drop it on the soft surrounding pillows she was sitting in before picking it up, observing it carefully, and trying to put her mouth. Time frantically tried to pry it from her hands as gently as possible.

“No no you can’t do that!” He said anxiously as he took the ocarina from her. She didn’t cry like a normal baby would, but instead pouted adorably at her father in disappointment. Time’s heart melted at the sight and he couldn’t help but give in. He knew Malon would admonish him for spoiling Navi later, but he couldn’t resist her cute, tiny face. 

“Alright, How about a song for my little fairy?” He chuckled putting the Fairy Ocarina to his lips. He watched as she opened her mouth in excitement and clapped before he played the lullaby he’d made for his daughter. When he finished, she was swaying back and forth sleepily to the rhythm, apparently inheriting her parents’ musical talents. Time smiled and watched as her eyes eventually closed and she fell asleep. 

“ Hello my only, just like the morning sun, you’ll keep on rising till the sky knows your name,” Time sang quietly.

He adjusted Navi’s little blue headband and tucked her into bed. Time put the Fairy Ocarina beside the Ocarina of Time and watched his daughter sleep, wishing he could freeze time for just that moment. He’d never forget it, and neither would she.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics for the lullaby that Time sings at the end are from the song "Only One" by Kanye West  
> This chapter went through like 600 rewrites. It was originally going to be him talking to Saria's ghost but that was way too depressing and made no sense. I was also going to have his daughter use the Ocarina of Time to travel back and meet him, but it was all over the place and also made no sense as to why she'd be able to use it. So I settled on this and it turned out to be one of my favorite chapters in this series. Should I include sneak peeks into the next chapter at the end? I think that'd be cute. For now, I'll let you know the next one is Win-centric, so get ready!  
> Special thanks to Tachvintlogic for commenting on ch. 2 of Talks With Twilight and helping me come up with Time's baby's name.


	3. Three Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wind sees dragons

Wind blew a raspberry and plopped his head into his hands. This was so boring. Wild had to go to a ceremony honoring the fallen Champions and others who died in the Calamity, but only the older heroes were allowed to go. So Wind, Hyrule, And Four were left in the Hateno Tech Lab, which would’ve been fine if Purah or Robbie were around, but both scientists had gone and carefully locked away everything that might’ve been fun. Hyrule was busy scribbling away in his notebook while Four took the opportunity to nap. And Wind was incredibly bored. 

Wind was starting to get desperate. He needed something, anything to do because he felt he was about to explode with energy. So he abruptly stood from his seat and frantically looked around the small lab for something that might be interesting. After tossing aside some things from a box in Purah’s corner of the room, he found a tablet. It looked kind of similar to Wild’s Sheikah Slate, and when Wind pressed what looked like the power button, it turned on. 

His eyes lit up as he watched a glitchy Sheikah symbol appeared on the screen before fading to a map. There were a hundred little blue icons littered throughout it, but most of them were grey and didn’t do anything when he pressed them. One symbol glowed blue and was northwest of the village. It read Jitan Sa’mi Shrine, which was kind of a weird name but he remembered that Wild said he could quickly transport around the world by using the slate. Wind hesitated, wondering if he would get yelled at for using the device, but he decided to take the chance rather than going crazy from sitting in a cramped lab all night.

He pressed the icon and dissolved into a string of lights, experiencing nothingness for a split second before ending up at the base of the shrine. Wind fell to his knees and tried to catch his breath, feeling like he’d gotten all the air knocked out of him. As soon as he regained control of his breathing, he shivered at the cold nipping at his ears and nose. It was freezing, and one glance around told him he was at the peak of some snowy mountain. Wind reached into his pack and pulled out a warm doublet Wild had given him last time they were in the snow, which he put on and immediately felt a little better. 

The sky was already dark at the peak, and the temperature had already dropped, so Wind sat in a shivering heap at the base of the shrine, poking at the slate. None of the icons were glowing blue anymore, and there was a bar at the top of the screen that was filling up slowly. He wondered if the teleportation needed to regenerate. With a sigh, Wind hooked the slate onto his hip and decided to check the area. Not like there was anything else to do anyway.

He shuffled out of the cave the shrine was in and saw he was standing in a spring, with a statue of the goddess with its back to him in the middle. He stepped into the water, which was actually warm, and wadded through to the other side, sending a brief prayer to Hylia before leaving. The wind whipped wildly at his numb face, and Wind shuffled rigidly through the snow. The mountain was freezing, and he felt like he was going to turn into ice. A loud noise that sounded like... well, Wind had actually never heard anything like it. It was akin to a snarl but sounded almost like music. Whatever it was, he turned his head and saw the dragon.

Its scales were a seafoam white, glowing and moving beautifully as it flew through the air. Its spine was lined with spikes of bright blue ice that were similar to its mane, and lilac scales covered its bottom. It was breathtaking, and Wind had never seen a dragon-like it. It swirled around the mountaintop, ignoring the young hero as it made its way across the sky and eventually disappeared from view.

In his stupor, Wind has forgotten that he was freezing and fell to his knees, his eyes wide with excitement and amazement. He quickly navigated to the camera rune on the Sheikah Slate and snapped a ton of pictures of the beasts fading form, hoping he could show them off when he got back home. He didn’t even notice someone was calling his name and sprinting towards him through the thick snow. He only snapped back to reality when they shook his shoulders and wrapped him in a warm coat.

“Wind, what’s wrong, are you ok?” Wild asked frantically as he checked the sailor over. He was still wearing his Royal Guard outfit and looked cold, but he was too focused on Wind to care. Wind only gaped at him and pointed to the mountaintop. Wild looked at him with confusion before realizing what he was trying to say and a wide grin spread across his face.

“I’ll tell you more about Naydra later, let’s head back for now.”

━━━O━━━

Wind needed to know what the hell was up with that dragon. But Wild seemed to always be gone ever since they arrived in his Hyrule. He claimed it was because Zelda needed him for some ‘official duties’, but Wind couldn’t shake the feeling he was spending a lot of his time doing something else. He didn’t mind that his friend was sneaking off, he just really needed to find out more about that dragon and grab some more pictures of it. So when Wild said he was going to Zora’s Domain one morning, Wind stopped him at the door of the inn.

“No, you're going to take me to see that dragon again,” the sailor said resolutely. Wild huffed and blew his bangs out of his face.

“Wind, I’ve really got to go, I’ll take you to see the dragon later. And you're still in trouble from using the incomplete Slate” Wind held his hands outstretched in defiance, baring the door and still holding his pictobox. He would not back down now. Wild glared at him in a feeble attempt at intimidation, which rarely worked when you were barely older or taller than the person you were trying to intimidate. With a heavy sigh of annoyance, Wild gave in and unhooked his Sheikah Slate. Wind suppressed a whoop of excitement and settled for shooting Wild a sly smug, which he returned with a frustrated scowl before tapping a few buttons and teleporting them both. 

They landed at the base of the shrine by what looked like a stable. Wild strode forward with Wind following close behind and talked to the sleepy man sitting at the desk facing outward. After a few shouts of commands, a beautiful black horse was brought out and given to Wild. He took the reigns and patted the horse’s nose lovingly before offering a hand to Wind. He took it reluctantly and sat behind Wild on the horse.

“Do we really have to ride this thing?” The younger hero asked petulantly. 

“Yes, the canyons not too far away, but we won’t make it in time if we walk. And Augusta is a sweet girl”

“But the dragon was on top of a mountain last time, why’s it in a canyon now?”

Wild grinned and hummed, not intending to answer. Wind sat in thought as they quickly rode to the canyon. They dismounted and walked to the edge of the enormous cliff. Wind didn’t see anything spectacular until a bright light caught his eye and the sound of heavenly music filled the air. He turned his head to the source, spotting a massive red dragon with a flaming mane swaying in midair. Its claws dug into the nonexistent ground beneath it as it flew, radiating heat so intense Wind could feel it from where he was standing. And yet, the warmth was comforting rather than unbearable. He snapped a couple of pictures from different angles of it. A poke in his side alerted him to Wild, who’d taken out his paraglider.

“Wanna get closer?”

Wind nodded enthusiastically, pulling out his Korok Leaf. He followed after Wild, sprinting and jumping off the cliffside, immediately catching the breeze in his leaf. It dragged him alongside the enormous beast and he laughed almost hysterically at the feeling of exhilaration.

“Don’t get too close or you’ll get burned!” Wild shouted. “Watch this!”

Wind watched in horror as Wild put away his paraglider, knocked, and released an arrow, striking the dragon. He pulled out his paraglider, and the whole action seemed to happen in stopped time.

“What the FUCK Wild! It’s going to attack us!” Wind screamed, only being responded to with a laugh.

“Look!”

And Wind did, spotting a trail of golden light landing at the bottom of the canyon. Wild sailed down there, landing beside the spotlight and Wind did the same. He knelt down beside Wild who was on his knees and observed the glowing object.

“What is it?” 

“Dinraal’s scale. You can use it to make elixirs or enhance armor.” Wild picked up the large scale and handed it to Wind. It was surprisingly light for its size, and really smooth.

“I think you’ll find more use for it than me,” Wild said with a wink. “I think we should be getting back, the dragons only appear during the early morning or late at night.”

“But you said there were three. Where’s the other?” Wind’s curiosity was still not satisfied, since Wild had only answered his questions by giving him more things to think about.

“You’ll see,” the champion said, grabbing Wind’s hand and transporting them back to the inn.

━━━O━━━

He heard the familiar squawks of seagulls and dug his toes into the sand. The sun felt nice on his face, and Wind indulged himself in just a moment of respite, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He thought he heard his sister called to him but ignored her. It probably wasn’t that important anyway. He’d show her his photo album later. The ocean lapped at his feet, cooling them more than his body. The feeling started to spread though, and Wind soon found himself colder than he’d liked. And the sound of seagulls was beginning to fade-

“Wind!” Wild stage-whispered, shaking the boy’s shoulder. Wind groaned and rolled onto his side to glare at Wild through half-lidded eyes.

“What time is it?” Wind mumbled, still half asleep.

“It’s three in the morning so come on!”

Wind flipped over onto his stomach. “It’s too early, go back to sleep.”

Wild huffed. “I guess you don’t want to see the dragon then.”

Wind sat up with a sudden burst of energy. “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing onto Wild’s shirt as the older boy mischievously tapped away at his Slate. The chilly breeze of the bridge nearly made Wind regret going. He was still wearing his pajamas and was comfortable in bed, the sudden shock of being out in the wild was difficult to adjust to. Wind looked around and tried to identify the area.

“Where are we?”

“The Bridge of Hylia,” Wild states, picking up a shiny medallion from the ground. 

“There are no shrines nearby, how’d we teleport?”

“With this.” Wild held up the medallion. “It allows me to teleport wherever I leave it. I set it up here so I could show you the last dragon.”

Wind raised an eyebrow. “And where’s the-“

The same ethereal music filled the air and Wind saw the final dragon. It was shinning a majestic green, with an enormous wavy horn emerging from its head. It buzzed with yellow energy and balls of electricity floated beside it, making everything stand with static. 

“Farosh,” Wild said with a hint of pride and nostalgia. “Want to take a picture?”

“Yea! But I don’t have my pictobox,” Wind said.

“We can use the Slate. Stand there.” Wild directed the sailor to the right position and snapped a quick photo of him. Wind stared in amazement at the image as he already began to anticipate what his sister would say about it. 

“Thanks for showing me this, Wild,” Wind grinned. Wild ruffled his hair and stayed silent. The two sat side by side on the bridge, watching as the great dragon weaved it’s way through the sky and eventually dove back into Lake Hylia. Wind sighed at the sight.

“This reminds me of home,” he said with a tinge of sadness that made Wild wrap his arm around him. “I used to watch the birds fly against the sunrise every morning from the watchtower. We’d feed them before running back home and eating real quick before we went back out to play. I really miss that now.”

Wild nodded solemnly but stayed quiet, so Wind continued. “I’ve seen so many things and done so much, but nothing ever compared to that feeling of looking at the sky as it turned orange than blue again and holding my little sister’s hand.” The sailor paused and turned to Wild before continuing. “Well, nothing until now.”

Wind smiled bright as the sun at Wild, who returned it with his usual lopsided grin. He pulled the younger hero in tighter and warmed him with his body heat.

“Me too, sailor,” he whispered. The two shared a private sunrise together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was simultaneously the hardest and easiest one to write. Describing dragons is hard, but I just had Wind react the same way I first saw one.  
> This chapter ties in heavily with the next, so stay tuned!


	4. Four Champions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit with the Champions

Wild readjusted the circlet he had on. The heat was more than oppressive and, though the charm was working its magic and keeping him from roasting alive, he still could feel sweat dripping down the back of his neck as he raised the enormous hammer over his head and brought it back down, destroying the rock that held the gems.

“Great job there, little guy! Who’d have thought you’d become so adept with the stone breaker?” Daruk laughed mightily, practically sending shockwaves through the ground. Wild scowled playfully.

“I’m short, Daruk, not weak.” He picked up the gems that’d fallen and store them in his Sheikah Slate. “Why’d you want me to come here anyway? You couldn’t have just wanted to mine.”

Daruk tapped his chin with an enormous finger thoughtfully, humming as he did. “I’m not sure if I should tell you just yet. Let’s keep following the path and you’ll see. Trust me, it’s worth the walk!”

“This is more of a hike than anything,” Wild grumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead. He fixed the white cap of his royal uniform and smoothed down his hair which was pulled tightly into a bun. “Can’t we take a minecart?”

Daruk shook his head. “Nope, it’ll take you too far and unless you’ve got the strength of a Goron, there’s no way you're stopping it safely. Not even with magnesis.”

“I’m glad they got the tracks fixed again, though. It’ll help Zelda reestablish the kingdom once she’s ready,” Wild said. “She’ll need all the help she can get after all.”

“You both will. Don’t downplay how much you’re helping her, buddy.”

Wild shrugged. “All I do is kill things and offer some muscle. The Calamity is gone and the world needs leaders, not a hero.”

“You're more than just a hero, little guy. And besides, the world will always need you, just not in the ways you expect,” Daruk answered, keeping his tone bright. Wild tried to agree, but something in the back of his mind wouldn’t let him. He pushed the voice aside, instead focusing on spending time with his friend.

“We’re here!” Daruk shouted. Wild looked around the small cave. There were a few things scattered about, but it looked like the place hadn’t been touched in a century. And it probably hadn’t. A chest sat at the other side and the Goron pushed Wild over to it. He knelt down and opened the chest, nearly shouting at what was inside.

“This may be our last meeting for now, but I hope you didn’t think I’d leave you unprotected,” Daruk said with a grin. Wild held up the small shield that had a red orb encrusted into its center. “My protection will always be with you, just make sure you use it well.”

Wild wished he could hug his friend, but he instead settled for a wide smile. “Thank you, Daruk.”

The Goron champion laughed loudly as the green flames that had been surrounding him grew brighter and his body became more transparent. “I should be saying that to you! Thank you for protecting my people and Hyrule, Link. We wouldn’t be here without you.”

“It’s my duty as your sworn brother,” Wild replied, blinking back tears. Daruk patted him with his nonexistent hand.

“See you later, little guy.” And in a flash of light, he was gone. 

━━━O━━━

“Sav'aaq,” Urbosa waved as Wild approached. He tightened his high ponytail and waved back. “You sure took your time getting here,” she said slyly.

Wild shrugged. “I had a late start and Daruk made me go on a hike up the mountain.”

“Well, let’s not waste any more time. I’m sure the others are still waiting for you.” She led him to the front of the enormous statue of the eighth heroine. She stood defiantly against the cliffside she was carved into, holding her massive sword straight before her, just as her other sisters did. Urbosa knelt before her and prayed, Wild followed suit. They both stood together and Wild went to sit by her feet while Urbosa stood before him. She studied him for a bit before speaking in her usual powerful tone.

“You’ve served the kingdom and the princess well, Link. I know you doubt yourself and don’t even try to deny it, the fact is written all over your face,” Urbosa said before Wild could protest. He slumped over in defeat and ignored her smug chuckle. 

“Your the only one who doesn’t view your actions as significant. I’d implore you to do the opposite, but I know that pride was never your style. You were always more of a humble voe.”

“That’s high praise, especially coming from you,” Wild said bashfully. Urbosa clicked her tongue and waved her hand.

“Oh please, I’m not some sort of goddess. I only state the obvious, which is that your a great hero and an even better person.” She turned her gaze to the heroine, her body towering above them. “Some say the eighth heroine was the human form of the goddess Din, who descended from the Sacred Realm to protect the Gerudo, the race blessed with her strength. I was raised on that very story my entire life and believed it wholeheartedly, but...”

She trailed off and gazed down at Wild from where she hovered. The teal flames flickered quietly by her side and the ghostly glow contrasted against her fierce red hair and deep brown skin. Wild could almost recall the feeling of a memory, that they’d had a talk like this a hundred years ago, but the fleeting moment left him the second it came, leaving behind the same black void in his mind where his memories should’ve been. He met her eyes and tried to forget the disappointment of another failed recollection.

“I’m not sure if I believe those stories anymore. I believe in her existence, unlike most of my people, but she wasn’t a goddess. Nor did she have any spectacular abilities like her sisters. I think the only gift she had that of perseverance, much like yourself. But her lack of powers did not make her any less of a heroine.

“Link, your duties as a hero aren’t done, but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to your life. Always look for something more and, I’m sure you don’t need me telling you this, but don’t give up.” She smiled at him as she began to fade. “I think my time’s up here. Tell Zelda... well, I don’t suppose there’s much more to say to my little bird. She knows all I could ever tell her and every unspoken word as well.”

Wild nodded and stood up. He put a hand over his heart and made an oath. “I swear on the Hero’s Spirit I’ll protect her. No matter what.” 

Urbosa gave him a funny look before sighing. “That’s not what I meant, but I’ll take it nonetheless. My fury is your’s, I know you’ll make good use of it. Just try not to electrocute yourself. Again.” And with a wink and nod of her head, she left.

━━━O━━━

The wind whipped Wild’s hair about at his back. He was glad he’d braided it before he went to the Flight Range. The air was thin and cold as usual, making it slightly harder to breathe. Wild felt blessed he wasn’t born on an island in the clouds like Sky— he didn’t think he could handle it for more than a few days. 

“Well, are you just going to stand there dumbly all day, or are you going to start shooting?” Revali tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Wild to start the exercise. 

“I will just give me a minute to focus.” Revali scoffed.

“Come on, you should be able to do this without so much as a thought. Or maybe,” Revali paused and gasped dramatically, “you’ve gone soft after defeating the Calamity.”

Wild scoffed and rolled his eyes before pulling out his paraglider. He made a mental note of the location and approximate distance of each target and calculated how high he’d need to aim, taking into account the wind. 

“Are you ready yet, or do you need another moment to fix your pretty hair?” Revali asked sarcastically.

“I’m ready,” Wild replied, ignoring his inflammatory remarks.

“Then, go!”

Wild ran and jumped off the platform, using the updraft to carry him and his paraglider up. He sailed to the middle of the area and let go off the flying device. He focused, grabbing the reigns of time. It tried desperately to buck him off, knocking him forward and back, trying to throw his mind off and disrupt his focus. He only tightened his grip, and time slowed. He took a breath and drew his bow, knocking a few arrows and took aim. Even without slowing time, Wild was incredibly fast with the bow and an expert marksman. He hit every target in what felt like a split second. Wild let his hold on time go and whipped out his paraglider again, floating back to the platform where Revali was waiting, trying to conceal his awe behind an unimpressed glare.

“That wasn’t too horrible, for a Hylian,” he said, turning his beak upward. Wild only snickered at his obvious satisfaction with the Hylian Champion’s skills. “Though you’ll never match my abilities, no one can. I can’t blame you for trying and failing to live up to my legacy.”

Wild sighed and hooked the bow back onto his back. “Don’t you ever try to have fun, Revali?”

The Rito looked at him indignantly. “Of course I have fun! But only after all my duties are done since those take top priority.”

“Oh? Then what exactly do you do for fun?” Wild asked, crossing his arms.

“Well, I...” Revali blinked rapidly and waved his arms around wildly before giving up and turning his back to Wild, who could barely hide his amusement. “It’s nothing you need to know about!”

“We should go shield surfing one day, I think you’d love it,” Wild said nonchalantly, getting Revali to turn back to him.

“Hopefully not too soon. I’d like to rest for a while, and without your company,” he snapped, trying to sound cold, but Wild could see straight through him.

“Thanks, Ravioli.”

“I’d very much like it if you called me by my name!” The Rito squawked, earning him a hearty laugh from Wild. Once he’d settled, the hero’s expression turned more sentimental and he held out a hand for Revali to take. He stared at it for a second, before groaning and giving his hand physical form. They shook before he pulled away and walked to the edge of the platform.

“I hope you know I’m not conceding. You will never surpass me, at least not in this lifetime. You can try though, my gale will always carry you, wherever you may go. Don’t use it stupidly, or I will revoke my blessing,” he warned.

“Me? Stupidly? When have I ever done that?” Wild asked innocently.

“I don’t know, maybe jumping off a cliff at the beach?” Wild turned red and Revali laughed, finally satisfied. 

“So long, Link. Good luck getting with the princess!” He called upon the wind and sailed up and away.

━━━O━━━

The rain came down in light sheets, making the path dangerously slippery, especially for anyone who wasn’t a Zora. Wild cursed whatever goddess had control over the weather. They seemed to have it out for Wild, always bringing on a downpour at the worst moments: when he’s climbing a steep cliff, fighting with a full set of metal armor on, or flying from a tower. Whatever the case, Wild hated the rain and he couldn’t help but feel the anxiety fluttering in his chest as he approached her statue. Sidon stood before it, admiring the beautiful reminder of his sister when he saw Link.

“My friend!” He shouted, waving the already approaching hero over. “It’s very good to see you again! Why haven’t you visited with your friends?”

“I’ve been going around and visiting the other champions. This is my last stop...” his attention turned to the statue and Sidon understood. His smile remained despite the topic of conversation.

“I should leave you two be then, I’m sure you’d like privacy. If you need me, I’ll be just up ahead with my father.” He shot him his usual bright smile before turning away. Sidon stopped after just a few steps and called over his shoulder. “Tell her... well, never mind, I’m sure she already knows.”

Wild looked back at the statue, admiring its beauty. The sculptor had done a fantastic job capturing the Zora princess in all of her gracefulness.

“I’m glad you're enjoying observing me as much as I enjoy watching over you,” a gentle voice to his side said. Mipha. She stood with her hands clasped delicately in front of her, her face radiating beauty and kindness. Wild’s eyes watered at just the sight of her.

“Hello Mipha,” he said. She cocked her head to the side and smiled.

“There is no need for greetings if I never left.” She glided over to him and placed a ghostly hand on his scarred cheek. Her amber eyes shone with unwavering love and affection. Wild fought against his instincts to push his face into her palm, wishing she were physically there.

“I’m sorry I left you last.”

She shook her head. “Do not apologize. Waiting a few more hours is nothing if it’s for you. Besides, I understand your reasons for doing so.”

His heart ached with guilt and sorrow, and he bit back the tears that threatened to spill over. The heat behind his eyes was unusual and unwelcome. When was the last time he cried anyway?

“Don’t leave me yet,” he whispered.

“I wouldn’t dare,” she replied.

They walked across a bridge and Wild leaned his elbows against the railings. The night sky sparkled with flickering stars, and the moon shone brightly overhead. When had it gotten so late? He’d dropped Wind off at the inn sometime around noon, but he didn’t think he’d been out that long. Then again, his time with the champions seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. He felt Mipha’s cool hand on top of his and turned his head to meet her gaze.

“This reminds me of a night before the Calamity. We came here to talk, so I could comfort you. The sky was the same as it is now.” Her eyes reflected back the pool of glittering light in the dark sea. She focused on him. “Link, I never got the chance to tell you how I felt then, and I’d very much like to do just that now.”

She took a deep breath. The wind blew back Wild’s bangs from his eyes. “I love you with every fiber of my being, and I want you to promise me you’ll hold onto the happiness you have now. Do not feel guilty about change. You’ll always be the hero you were meant to be and the man I fell in love with, even if you don’t remember.”

The tears that had been welling up had finally spilled over and Wild cried heavily into his hands. Mipha’s presence soothed him from behind, her healing warming his spirit and gently easing the aching of his heart. He wiped his face and looked at her through misty eyes. He could make out the flames around her and her body beginning to fade from her feet upward. Her smile remained as bright as her soul. Wild realized he couldn’t do this, he wouldn’t. She was the one person he didn’t want to lose again, but it seemed fate always had different, more heartbreaking plans.

“I don’t want to say goodbye,” he choked out in a broken voice. Mipha’s eyes watered as she planted a kiss on her hero’s head.

“There is no need for goodbyes if I’ll never leave. Staying with you will always be my pleasure,” she said one last time. 

Wild watched as she vanished from sight, but could still feel her love sitting deep in his heart. He put a hand to his chest, taking hold of the grace she left in his soul, and smiled up at the moon. He wasn’t alone. He had four champions with him, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the whole reason why I started this series, and it was one of my favorites. Hope you liked it!


	5. Five Gold Rupees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legend has a strange encounter and makes a wish

_ Link gripped his uncle’s hand tightly as they walked through the snow-covered streets of Castle Town and approached the well. It was empty since everyone had already made their wishes earlier in the day. Link’s uncle had specifically chosen that time of day to avoid the crowds for his anxious nephew, who he knew hated being around large groups of people. They stood by the edge of the well and his uncle picked him up and sat him by the edge, his little uncovered legs dangling over. He handed one of the gold rupees he’d painted to the boy, whose eyes widened in wonder at the small gem. _

_ “Alright Link, make a wish and toss it in the well. Don’t tell anyone what it is, or it won’t come true,” his uncle told the little boy, who nodded and closed his eyes. He whispered his wish into the tiny gem, putting complete and total faith into it, before tossing it in.  _

_ “What’d you wish for?” His uncle teased, making Link blink at him in shock.  _

_ “But you told me not to!” Link cried. His uncle chuckled lightly and ruffled the boy’s pink hair. _

_ “Your right, I did. Let me make my wish now.” He closed his eyes and threw the rupee into the well. “Alright, do you want to go sledding?” _

_ “Yes!” The boy responded brightly, grabbing his uncle’s shirt as he picked him up and took him away. _

━━━O━━━

“Does anyone know where Wild is?” Time asked as they strode through the town. The mumbles of his friends let him know that no one did, and he sighed in response. “Then I guess we’re not making wishes.”

“Aw, man! But you promised we would!” Wind cried. 

“I know, but he’s the only one with enough gold rupees for all of us to make a wish. I’ve got one and I know Four and Warriors do too, but the rest of you don’t and I’d rather not leave everyone out.”

Legend huffed and crossed his arms. “If we wait for him, we’ll be here all day. I know where to get gold rupees, this is my Hyrule after all.”

“Oh can I come with you?” Hyrule asked. Legend really didn’t want to say no to his child, but he just wanted to be alone. He bit his lip as he spoke.

“Sorry Rule, but I need to go alone.” His heart ached at the sight of Hyrule’s disappointment, but the traveler only shrugged and left Legend be.

Legend walked down the eastern street, which was crowded with hoards of people doing some late holiday shopping. Nayru’s Day was fast approaching and everyone who hadn’t done their shopping needed to get it done now before the stores sold out. He walked into an art shop and purchased some gold paint. Legend knew there wasn’t anywhere to get the five gold rupees they needed in his Hyrule, so his only solution would be to paint some like his uncle used to do. He smiled fondly at the memory and purchased the paints.

Legend walked back out onto the street, expecting it to be bombarded by another suffocating crowd, but instead found completely empty. The sky was black as night, but it wasn’t dark? Legend could still see fine like it was still midday, but the stars twinkling overhead told him it was not. He suddenly felt very cold and shivered, wishing that he’d worn some sort of leg covering to keep him warm. 

He walked slowly down the cobbled path in between the buildings, the light of the eerily empty shops illuminating his path. Legend kept a hand on the hilt of his sword, wary of anything that might attack him. He didn’t sense any magic present, which meant it was either extremely well concealed or none was used, which was impossible because that meant everyone on the street just vanished from existence. He didn’t want to even consider that as an option. 

The sound of hooves hitting the ground and the sudden crash and yell of pain nearby put Legend on edge. Whatever that was, it sounded close and it was his only lead as to what the hell was going on. He followed the sound of spinning wheels and someone grumbling rather loudly to the square. A large wagon had crashed into the ground from... the sky? It honestly looked that way based on the angle it was sticking out of the ground. There were no horses in sight and a woman was standing beside it, stomping her foot in frustration. Legend kept an uneasy hand on his sword as he walked towards her.

“Hey, who are you?” He asked bluntly, not bothering to hide his distrust. The woman looked at him with golden eyes that matched her hair and smiled.

“Oh thank god you’re here to help! I’m Fraulin, and you are?” 

“Legend,” he said hesitantly. He really did not trust this lady. “Do you know where everyone else is?”

She titled her head in confusion. “Everyone else? We’re the only people here.”

“Well yes now we are but there were crowds of people before. Did you not see them?”

“No, I’ve only seen us two and my horses.” 

Legend was beginning to grow frustrated with this woman’s obliviousness and tried his best to not snap at her. “Ok, then where’d you come from?”

She shrugged. “Heaven.”

Legend opened gaped at her. This woman was either insane or... he didn’t really have very many thoughts besides that one. She skipped to him and grabbed his hands tightly.

“Please help me find my horses and repair my wagon! I need to have it fixed before morning, but I can’t do it alone.”

Legend reeeeeally did not want to get involved with this strange lady any more than he already had, but there were no other leads as to what the fuck was going on. And he couldn’t just leave her without her transport and horses, even if she did say she was from heaven.

“Fine, how many horses did you have and where’d they go?” He eventually asked, crossing his arms. She brightened and clapped her hands together.

“They’re both white and I think they ran that way,” she pointed to the street that leads to the eastern section of town. 

“Alright then let’s go.”

Legend and her walked together down the street, the hero keeping an eye on the strange woman. He had to admit, she was gorgeous. But something about her threw him off. Like he kinda knew her but also didn’t really like her but also did but- it was confusing, to say the least. She also seemed oddly nervous and anxious to start a conversation, so Legend went ahead and spoke first.

“Your name is Fraulin, right? What were you doing when you crashed?”

Her eyes brightened a bit at the conversation. “I was making my ride across the sky, just seeing how long it’d take when one of the shooty wheels came loose and we crashed.” She grew frustrated as she explained her ridiculous story. “My horses bolted and then I met you.”

Legend nodded along as she spoke. “I think I can fix the wagon if we go back. The damage isn’t that bad, it’s just the wheels that need to be fixed which I can do with a bit of magic. The horses though-“ he stopped when he spotted the very creatures. They were almost glowing with how white they were. 

“Story and Spirit!” Fraulin said excitedly. 

“Let’s get them then,” Legend said stepping forward only to be stopped by her arm.

“They’re wild beasts, they will not just allow you to ride them. We have to sneak up on them and mount if we hope to get them back.”

Legend could manage a wild animal. He traveled with a few everyday. He nodded and they split up, Legend stalking quietly towards what he assumed was Story and Fraulin to Spirit. She held up her fingers, counting down from three. Legend got ready and when she put down the last one, he mounted the horse and held onto the reigns for dear life. It bucked harshly and wildly, trying with all its might to knock him off its back. Legend had never tried to tame a wild horse and after that he never would. He could already feel the bruises forming on his ass.

“Steer her towards the square!” Fraulin shouted from up ahead, where she was also being jolted on the horse that was racing in the direction. 

Legend dug his heels into the side of the horse and spurred it on. It sprinted violently ahead, barreling straight in the direction they’d just headed. As soon as they reached the square, Legend decided he’d had enough and used some minor sleeping magic to calm the mare. She slowed to a trot and stopped in front of the broken wagon where Fraulin was smiling with pride.

“Great job! I didn’t know you could handle a horse so well,” she said and Legend frowned as he dismounted. 

“You don’t know me at all,” he snapped, and she looked a little shocked and embarrassed.

“Right sorry.”

Legend sighed but didn’t apologize. He really did not vibe with this lady but that was no excuse to be rude to her. He stepped toward the wagon and began working on the wheels. 

“No I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so-“

“Snappy?” She finished with a grin.

“Yeah sure, whatever,” he muttered. She sat beside where he was working and looked at him curiously.

“Do you have any family?” She asked after a few minutes of silence. Legend clenched his jaw at the question.

“I do,” he said, keeping his sentence clipped.

“An uncle?”

Legend whipped his head to Fraulin and saw her smiling at him. He stood and backed up.

“Who exactly are you?” He asked dangerously, putting his hand back on his sword hilt. She put her hands on her hips, ignoring his threatening tone.

“Thank you for the help, as always! I couldn’t have done it without you, Hero of Legend,” she replied brightly. “And here’s your reward.”

Legend looked at his palm which had apparently opened without him knowing. In it we’re some scraps of wood from the wagon. He stared at her in disbelief, but she was already sitting atop the driver’s seat ad the horses readied. Legend wondered if she was teleporting.

“We’ll meet again, Legend,” she said with a wink. Just before she took off she turned back to him. “You made a wonderful wish, by the way. I hope that it will be just as great this time too.”

She spurred her horses and they began pulling her wagon into the sky, riding away into the moonlight. Legend watched with his mouth wide, not knowing if he was dreaming. He suddenly felt extremely dizzy and tired and found it nearly impossible to stand up. He stumbled over to a building and sat down on the empty bench out front. The wood scraps were still in his hand and his eyes began to shut. But he couldn’t sleep yet! Not after what he just saw, and he needed to find the others and..

━━━O━━━

_ “Uncle?” The boy asked, lifting his head from his uncle’s shirt.  _

_ “Yes, Link?” _

_ “When will be coming back?” _

_ His uncle looked at the little boy intently for a few moments before grinning lopsidedly and ruffling his hair. _

_ “Soon,” he responded. But the boy wasn’t satisfied. _

_ “Will we be coming back together?” _

_ His uncle looked at him quizzically, raising his eyebrow as he usually did when he was confused. The boy’s eyes were so filled with worry it almost made his uncle feel the same way too. _

_ “Why wouldn’t we be together?” _

_ Link shook his head and looked at his tiny hands. They were covered in red wool mittens his uncle made for his last birthday. They were his favorite thing in the whole world.  _

_ “I don’t know. Just promise me you won’t leave me alone,” he whispered. His uncle’s eyes watered at what the boy said. He couldn’t bear thinking about abandoning his nephew. _

_ “I swear I won’t,” he responded.  _

_ Link looked at his uncle, wanting desperately to believe him. But something in his young mind wouldn’t let him. He tried to force the thought away, as best as a 4-year-old could, but it wouldn’t leave. He could only hope his wish would come true. _

━━━O━━━

“Legend! Are you alive?”

Legend’s eyes snapped opened and he was immediately met with Warriors’s gaze. The captain put a hand on his forehead which Legend batted away before he stepped back and addressed the rest of the group.

“He’s fine, just taking a quick nap I guess.”

The others sighed in relief and Wind bounced up to his side.

“Did you get the rupees?”

Legend shook his head disappointedly, still wondering what exactly just happen.

“No, I must’ve fallen asleep because I had the strangest dream about this woman who needed help fixing her carriage, and then she gave me some wood scrapes for helping-“ he stopped mid-sentence and looked at the contents of his hand. The wood was replaced with five shining gold rupees. Wind noticed and let out a shout of excitement.

“You did get them! Thanks, Leg!”

Legend looked at the rupees in disbelief. How the fuck did they get there? The woman gave him wood scraps, not the shining form of currency. And it was just a dream anyway, there’s no way he met a woman from heaven who knew about the wish he made when he was 4. Right?

“You alright veteran?” Time asked, noticing how shaken he appeared. Legend managed to pull himself together and nodded, trying to hide how nervous he was.

“Can we make our wishes now?” Wind begged and Time nodded after running a hand through his hair. Wind grabbed Legend’s arm and dragged him from the bench to the well, taking four rupees from his hand and handing them out. He closed his eyes and whispered into the gem before throwing it into the pit, listening with satisfaction to the clinking of metal against the stone.

“Make a wish Leg!”

Legend looked down at the rupee in his hand and brought it up to his lips hesitantly. He closed his eyes and threw it down the well, keeping his wish a secret between only him and whoever was listening. He tossed it and watched as the gem caught the light as it made its descent.

“What’d you wish for?” Wind asked.

“If I tell you, it won’t come true.”

The sailor huffed but accepted his refusal and walked away to try and pry information out of the other heroes. Legend looked back at the well and gave it a small smile. He felt the ghost of a sweet memory as he turned away from the well, having made his final wish.

* * *

** BONUS: **

*Wild stumbles towards the group, panting and exhausted*

Twi: Where have you been Cub!?

Wild: You won’t believe it if I told you.

Legend: Try us.

Wild: Ok, well I had a dream that everyone vanished from the city and this lady with golden hair and the same color eyes approached me. You know what, know that I think about it, she looked a lot like H-

*Legend slams his hand down and covers his face in frustration*

Legend: I should’ve fucking known!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter has way more Christmas vibes than the ones before, so I hope you enjoy!


	6. Six Tears of Fairies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twilight performs a few holiday miracles

Twilight swished the crystal tears in the bottle gently, listening to them clink on the sides of the glass. The day was just ending, and the sky was dark blue lined with orange by the horizon. He was stuck in his tower at the castle since Dusk didn’t want him leaving the day before the ball. The others rented rooms at an inn on the other side of town and Twilight really missed them. They hadn’t been apart in months and the silence of the room was uncomfortable. He looked disappointedly at the bottle as he set it down. The necklace Wind had given him so he could communicate with the others began glowing bright blue. He took it off and brought the glowing rock up to his face.

“...Twilight can you hear me?” Wind asked on the other side. “Is this thing working? Sky I don’t know if he can hear me....”

“I can hear you!” Twilight said excitedly, happy to hear his friend's voice again.

“Oh! Great! Wild’s really sick and we need medicine. Time and Four went out to get some, but they couldn’t find any strong enough. Do you have anything that could help?”

Twilight looked at the bottle he’d just set down. He had six tears from the Great Fairy, but it only took one to completely heal someone. “Yea I do, I’m on my way.”

“Thanks! Please hurry, he’s not doing too good. We’ll be waiting, over and out...” Wind’s voice faded to static before disappearing completely. 

Twilight stood and peeked out his door. There weren’t any guards, but he knew it’d be impossible to escape through the castle. The only way out was the window. He grabbed his hookshot from his bag and put it on. He’d only need one to get to the nearby roof and from there, he could easily jump off. He shot the claw and was pulled to the other side quickly. Twilight rubbed his shoulder— it’d been a while since he used it. He glanced around the roof first before transforming into a wolf. It was early in his Hyrule and the temperature had already dropped dramatically. Being a wolf was far easier than being Hylian.

He sprinted across the rooftops of the enormous castle, jumping from platform to platform, he landing easily on his feet. He trotted out of the vicinity of the castle and into the sprawling town in front of it. The streets were still relatively busy since it wasn’t too dark yet, so Twilight changed back. He tightened the fur pelt around his neck and made his way down the street before turning into a back alley, wanting to avoid the crowds. He stood there, listening to the wind and chatter when a particularly interesting conversation reached his ears. It came from a window that shone a warm orange light onto the snowy cobblestones of the ground.

“We can’t afford both, Guda, and I don’t want to choose,” a man said from inside a home. The window was shut and their voices were muffled, but Twilight’s hearing was good enough.

“Please don’t make me do it. I can’t. It’s my mother or my daughter, I could never pick one,” a woman responded, breaking down into a quiet sob.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” The man made comforting noises as his voice fell to a whisper. Twilight pushed himself closer to the window and looked inside, but his vision was obscured by the frost on the glass,

“Whichever one you chose, they’ll be happier in the Sacred Realm. They wouldn’t want to suffer or for us to die in order to save them.”

Twilight’s heart clenched at the realization of the couple’s conversation. He felt for the bottle and eyed the tears carefully. He could spare two for this family. He transferred two crystals into a small pouch and placed it by the windowsill, knocking on it before quickly ducking away and hiding around the corner. The window opened after a few minutes and a man with a dark mustache and tired eyes took the pouch. His eyes widened at the contents and he whipped his head around to look for whoever was responsible for the miracle. Twilight smiled as the man closed the window and shouts of joy rang from the house. 

He turned back to the Main Street, which had cleared out significantly in the few minutes he’d been waiting. The sky was almost completely black and the stars twinkled delightfully overhead. Twilight hummed Epona’s Song and strolled happily down the street. A little girl who was walking just up ahead suddenly collapsed, causing Twilight to panic and sprint over to her. She was on her hands and knees and when he helped her sit up, he felt her hands were freezing cold. 

“What’s wrong?” She shook her head blearily and her eyes were glazed over in pain.

“I need to get to my grandma. She’s sick and needs my help. I came all this way... I can’t stop now,” she mumbled under her breath. She tried to push Twilight away, but she had no strength and collapsed in his arms. Twilight’s concern grew when her breathing grew shallow and he saw the hood she was wearing was soaking wet. 

“Stick with me alright?” He whispered to her. He pressed a hand to her forehead and found she was hot with fever. Based on how hard she was shivering and her lack of control over her breathing, she’d been like this for hours or even days and needed help immediately. With a small prayer for her protection, Twilight shook out one of the crystallized tears and pressed it against her forehead. It glowed bright pink before melting into her skin. Twilight watched with relief as the color returned to her previously pale face and her breathing evened out. After a few minutes, her eyes flew opened and met with Twilight’s.

“Wh-What happened?” She asked in a daze.

“You were very sick and I gave you some medicine that made you a lot better,” he said with a smile. He helped her sit up and readjust herself. She shifted uncomfortably in her cloak.

“You should take that off, it’s wet and with this cold, you’ll only get worse.” She quickly complied, unhooking it and folding it in her arms. The corners of her lips upturned slightly.

“Thank you so much, mister. If I couldn’t make it to my grandmas, then- Oh! I need to go or I’ll never make it in time!” She bolted up to her feet. “Thanks again, sir!”

Twilight watched her run away for a few seconds before he sighed and ran after her.

“Wait! Do you need to get there fast?” He asked after catching up. She breathed heavily as she nodded. Twilight hesitated for a moment before resigning.

“Ok, don’t freak out when this happens. Just hop on my back and I’ll get you there in a second, just tell me where to go.” She gave him a confused look before nodding. Twilight grabbed the crystal and transformed into a wolf. The girl’s face changed from confusion to shock then awe, which was a little unexpected. She took no time in making herself comfortable on Twilight’s back.

“We head down the eastern street and make a right then two lefts and were there,” she said in his ear. He nodded and took off running. The little girl whooped with joy on his back and Twilight suppressed his urge to howl along with her.

“This is awesome mister! Who knew you could turn into a big doggie!” Twilight stopped himself from snapping at the girl and focused on moving his legs. Running as a wolf was always more exhilarating and less exhausting than in his human form. Doing it here in the streets of his own Hyrule with someone sitting on his back reminded him of... he preferred not to think about that actually.

“We’re here!” She said and Twilight came to a halt outside of a red door. The girl hopped off his back and he transformed back.

“Thank you for your help. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t help, my grandma is very sick and I hope I can at least spend Nayru’s Day with her.” Her tone turned somber and it played with Twilight’s heartstrings. He couldn’t just leave her with a dying grandmother, what kind of hero would he be if he did?

“Can i see your grandmother?” He asked quietly. The girls features brightened as she nodded excitedly and opened the door. He stepped into the warm house and took in the surroundings. Everything was bathed in the orange glow of candles and lanterns that were hung about. A bed sat at the far side of the small room, where a small old lady lied down.

“Hello Julie,” she welcomed in a raspy voice.

“Grandma!” Julie ran across the room and embraced the woman in a hug. She pulled away and pointed to Twilight.

“This man helped me get here in time to see you!”

Twilight bowed his head slightly. “Hello ma’am, I’m Link.” 

“I suppose you’ve come to take me to the Sacred Realm,” she smiled weakly. Twilight shook his head and showed her the bottle.

“The opposite actually. These are tears from the Great Fairy. They’ll heal your sickness if you accept it.” 

The old woman eyes the crystals warily. “I do not trust magic.”

“Neither do I, it’s caused me too many issues in the past. But I promise you these will only help, not harm.” 

“Very well,” she responded after a few moments of deliberation. Twilight took out a crystal and handed it to the girl.

“Put these in her tea and she’ll be all better in the morning,” he instructed. Julie nodded with bright eyes.

“Thank you mister Link! Come back anytime!” Twilight chuckled lightly before heading out.

The wind had picked up in the time it took him to get to this house. It’d be hard to see while walking with the snow that was kicked up into the air. His legs ached from the constant running he’d been doing and he was felt near exhausted. The blue stone glowed again and Wind’s voice rang through.

“Twilight! Are you there?”

Twilight brought it up to his face and spoke carefully. “Yea what’s up?”

“You’ve got to hurry, Wild’s not doing too good. We need the medicine and fast,” Wind said worriedly. Twilight clenched his jaw in concern.

“I’ll be there soon,” he promised before the stone dimmed. 

Twilight looked at the contents of the bottle. He had two tears left and no time to get there, but he was running out of energy and he knew his legs wouldn’t carry him the whole way. With a quiet curse, he poured one of the crystals into his hand and pressed it to his forehead. Energy immediately coursed through his body and he felt far more alert than before. Twilight tucked away the bottle and transformed once again, sprinting through the town.

The icy wind clung to his fur, leaving the dark grey coated in a layer of white snow. It nipped at his nose, which was more uncomfortable than anything but was easy to ignore. Buildings raced by as his midnight sprint hastened, each minute making the aching in his heart hurt just a little more at the thought of his Cub suffering. Finally, he reached the inn. Twilight quickly transformed and ran past the desk to the rooms the rest of the group were staying in. He pushed opened the door, bottle with the last crystallized tear at the ready to find-

“SURPRISE!!!” Confetti rained down from the poppers and the sound of bright whistles filled the air. Twilight stared dumbfounded at the group, all of whom had various degrees of smiles and small grins plastered on their faces. 

“But Wild-“ his question was cut off by the chorus of happy birthday that began. Wild appeared from behind Time and Warriors cover, walking up to Twilight holding a large white cake with dark green frosting along the edges. 

“Happy birthday, Twi!” He said happily, pushing the cake forward. One candle was lit, which Twilight blew out. They all clapped and cheered.

“Alright gifts!” Wind shouted, pushing a slightly irritated Legend aside to reach behind the bed and pull out a small box. “Here ya go! I made this but everyone insisted on helping, so I guess it’s from all of us.”

Twilight took the box and opened it slowly to reveal a small, travel-sized sketchbook with a detailed illustration on the front of all the members of the group. It was delicately painted, capturing every detail of what looked like in a happy group picture. Surrounding it were tiny messages from everyone.

_ You’ve made me proud, Time. _

_ Happy birthday, farm boy. I can still beat you in a fight, Warriors. _

_ I’m glad you haven’t died yet, Legend. _

_ Don’t stop being you, wolf boy, Four. _

Twilight stopped reading to wipe away tears before he continued.

_ Happy birthday, Twi! Your best farmhand in the world and no one loves you more than me. Except for maybe Epona, Wind. _

_ Another year passes for one of my favorite people. I love you and happy birthday, Sky. _

_ Sorry for all the trouble I give you sometimes, but thanks for everything and have a great birthday! Hyrule. _

_ Thanks for keeping me alive this long. I wouldn’t be here without you, Wild. _

Twilight flipped through the pages, admiring the way the white pages passed by in a flurry. He set the book down and looked up at everyone with a grin.

“Thank you, guys. This is the best thing I’ve ever gotten.” 

Legend scoffed with no malice. “Oh come on, stop being so sappy.”

Warrior smacked the back of his head and it devolved into a playful fight. Twilight turned to Wind and Wild, who were cutting the cake and putting it on plates for everyone.

“So Wild is ok? What was that whole thing about?” Wind giggled behind his hand while Wild gave him a sheepish look.

“Oh, that was just a way of getting you here. You were taking too long and I didn’t want the cake to get cold.” 

Twilight huffed in slight frustration and punched Wild’s shoulder, letting the concern and guilt that had built in his chest fade completely to joy from the best birthday in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 14th anniversary of Twilight Princess! I used the NA GameCube release date for Twi’s birthday, even though I played the game on the Wii.  
> This chapter was slightly inspired by the story “The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Andersen. It’s a pretty good holiday story if you’ve never read it.  
> Anyway, we’re halfway done! Thanks to everyone who’s read this far, and I hope you enjoy the rest. More to come soon!


	7. Seven Minutes Counting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warriors reminisces while he waits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter lives up to the angst tag
> 
> Warning for: Mentions of war and death

Warriors only had a few minutes left. Seven, to be exact. He’d asked Wild to borrow his Sheikah Slate while he counted the seconds that passed, waiting for the right moment. And it was fast approaching. Almost too fast for Warriors liking.

* * *

In the first minute, he remembered how he first got there.

━━━O━━━

He clenched the scarf close to his chest, fearing that letting go even just a bit would mean losing her forever. He wouldn’t let that happen. A strong hand grabbed his arm and ushered him forward across the cobblestone pavement of the town. The summer heat was almost unbearable in the city, and Link would’ve preferred to stay out in the open grassy sea of Hyrule Field forever, but they wouldn’t let him. His time alone in the limited wilderness had come to an end.

They pushed him forward to the door. A woman in a red dress greeted the person who brought him before crouching down to Link’s eye level. She had black hair and a friendly smile.

“Hello, I’m Trista, it’s very nice to meet you.” She held out a hand for Link to take, which he did, and shook as firmly as a 4-year-old could. “What’s your name?”

“Link,” he responded, keeping his gaze unwavering. Trista chuckled at his manners.

“My my we have a gentleman in our midst. I’ve never met a boy with as much confidence as you,” she told him. That made Link blush and become slightly flustered.

“Th- thank you,” he managed to stutter out. She stood and Link noticed how tall she was. Far taller than anyone he’d ever seen. But that wasn’t saying much, considering he spent most of his childhood with just his mother before he was alone. Trista’s grip on Link’s hand did not falter.

“Would you like me to show you what it’s like inside?” She pointed to the wooden doors to the building. Link gulped and nodded. “Don’t be scared, everyone here is kind and just like you. I promise. Now, let’s meet your new family.”

* * *

In the second minute, he remembered his second family.

━━━O━━━

“Come on, Link, don’t be such a wimp,” Linkle shouted from atop the tree. Link rolled his eyes and remained cross-legged on the ground next to Fado. The girl giggled at Link’s resistance to his sister’s demands and the two friends continued making their headwear. Linkle hopped down from the tree gracefully and stomped over to their spots in the clearing, glaring at her brother.

“Why don’t you ever listen to me? I told you it wasn’t that dangerous.”

Link didn’t lift his eyes from his work when he responded. “Because I won’t just do whatever you tell me. And Fado and I are making flower crowns.”

“Oh come on,” she grumbled, but sat down and joined their weaving. “Don’t you want to do anything with your life beyond just, I don’t know, making flower crowns?”

Link sighed and went about choosing the next color. White or blue? “Yes, of course, I do, but we’re only 15-“

“Almost 16,” Linkle interrupted proudly.

“Anyway, I enjoy just having fun. I don’t want to spend every waking moment thinking about the future.” He turned back to Fado. “Which flowers do you think would look best?”

She took a moment to consider before signing  blue . Warriors nodded and started weaving the flowers in. 

“Whatever, I already know I’m going to be the next hero. I’ve got this after all.” She grabbed her compass and smiled fondly at it. Link felt a lump form in his throat from the sight of it. He hadn’t seen any of their family in years. He hoped their grandmother was ok after their mother had gone.

Fado gave a huff of air.  If only you used it some time, maybe we wouldn’t have to show you that the bakery is right across the street every time, she signed. Link couldn’t help but snicker at Linkle’s red face at his friend’s joke.

* * *

In the third, he remembered how he found his purpose.

━━━O━━━

Damn it all. If only he’d listened to his sister, for once, he might’ve not ended up in this situation. But he never trusted her terrible sense of direction, so when she told him not to go through the western road, he of course ignored her advice and took the shortcut. Now he was crawling backward, away from a red pig monster that was swinging an enormous club dangerously close to his head. His reflexes were enough to keep him alive, but it wouldn’t be for long. 

The monster swung down hard at Link, but he dodged in time and it got its weapon stuck in a pile of rubble. In the second of rest he had, he glanced over at Fado who was huddled in the corner of the destroyed stall. 

Behind you! She signed quickly. 

Link wasn’t fast enough to react and a weight crashed down on his shoulder and made him fall to his knees. He gasped in pain and grabbed his shoulder in a futile effort to make it hurt less. He turned and saw the monster raising its club again, a terrifying grin on its ugly face before he closed his eyes and braced himself.

But the hit never came. When he opened his eyes again, Link saw the monster falling over flat on its face, with a sword sticking out its stomach. Behind it was a soldier, wearing the traditional uniform but missing his helmet. He must’ve not been on duty. The man walked over to Link and knelt by his side.

“Did you get hit?” He asked in a rough voice. Link nodded and showed his shoulder. The man hummed a bit in satisfaction.

“You’ll be alright, but it’ll hurt like hell. Just a bruise though.” He stood and offered Link a hand, which he took and also got to his feet. The soldier made his way to Fado who was staring in awe at the man.

“You ok kid?” Fado nodded and closed her mouth before hesitantly signing that she was alright. “Good. You two shouldn’t have been around this part of town, it’s unsafe right now. Some monsters on the loose around here. I thought the captain put up a notice. I’ll have to tell him,” he mumbled to himself as he inspected the area. Link cleared his throat and the man’s attention snapped to him.

“Um, thank you, for saving us,” he said quietly, suddenly feeling a little bashful. The man only nodded.

“It’s what I do kid.”

Link felt his heart race at the thought of saving others. “You help people every day?”

“Yup,” the man said simply, hand tapping gently away on the hilt of his sword. “Helping people is the best thing anyone can do.”

His words settled comfortably in Link’s heart. He took a long look at the symbol of the Royal family that was neatly printed into his armor. Maybe that was something he would also like to do one day.

* * *

Four minutes. The wait was coming to an end. This time, he recalled his first battle.

━━━O━━━

The battlefield was quiet. Link strode through, treading carefully in between the bodies, whose faces were frozen in pain and horror. Link tried not to look. He was half-listening to his captain drone on about how the war was won thanks to the valiant efforts of knights like him. But he didn’t feel like they’d achieved victory. Not while standing surrounded by the bodies of people rather than monsters. But he still would do his duty for Hyrule, no matter what. 

The princess stood on a makeshift stage in the middle of the field. She donned a full set of beautiful battle armor, far better than anything the knights were forced to wear. A royal advisor and General Impa stood stiffly at her side, her hand constantly hovering over her blade. The princess cleared her throat loudly and spoke in a voice fit for a queen.

“My valiant knights of Hyrule, thanks to your bravery and sacrifices, we have won yet another war against the invading forces of Elloru.” She paused, allowing the cheering to subside. Link did not join in the celebrations. “Your valor will be compensated handsomely, and the kingdom is once again indebted to you.”

More cheers. Link watched as the princess was helped off the stage, carefully avoiding the path that was littered with the bodies of soldiers he’d killed. She chatted away brightly with Impa. Link felt his stomach do backflips at the sight. He was going to be sick.

* * *

Warriors shook the thoughts aside. It was almost Nayru’s Day, recalling such horrible memories was not befitting of a day that was supposed to bring peace and joy. So he settled on something a little more comforting. The day he found the sword.

━━━O━━━

It felt right. The weight of the sword on his lap. He watched as it pulsed and glowed reassuringly, feeling its power course through his body. Zelda placed a hand over it, letting it hover and her Triforce glow brilliantly. Link looked up to see her smiling with satisfaction.

“I suppose my instincts were right. I’m glad it was you who lifted it, Link.” 

He bowed his head slightly. “I’m not worthy of your praise, your majesty. I am just glad to be doing my duty to save the kingdom.” He meant every word of what he said. The sword was amazing, a true gift from the goddess herself, but it was just a surprising but welcome tool to aid him in his quest. Link would’ve saved the kingdom as many times as he needed to, with or without it. 

Zelda’s smile stayed steady. “You truly are a hero. The only thing is that I wish you would stop calling me your majesty when it’s just the two of us. Just Zelda is fine, or Sheik,” she added slyly. Link nearly forgot about that revelation. He bit back a grin.

“Forgive me, your- Zelda. Force of habit, I suppose.” He looked back down at the blade. A faint voice drifted on the wind and he could hear it calling for its master. For Link.

“You hear her, the voice inside the sword,” Zelda stated. It was not a question, but Link nodded. “The spirit that resides within, I pray that she protects and guides you. Since you obviously need both,” she joked. Link rolled his eyes playfully.

Zelda stood and walked away with a wave, leaving Link alone with his new companion. He ran his fingers dangerously across the sharp edge. It was enough to easily cut through anything, but it would never dare harm him. The wind picked up slightly and Link tightened his scarf around his neck. The sword seemed to hum to him in an attempt at comfort. He smiled at it and placed a hand on the flat side.

Thank you , he thought, hoping his mental thanks would reach the spirit. The light pulsed once more before dimming.

“I don’t suppose you can turn into a wolf,” a voice— Midna— said sarcastically as she approached. She floated before him in the air, her hands planted firmly on her hips. Despite her tone, Link could tell she wasn’t entirely serious about it. There was something there...

“No, not that I know of.” He stopped and looked up in thought before grinning. “Not yet.”

She scoffed and began to turn away before she took one last, longing look at the sword. Her gaze flicked to Link and she left. He sighed and sheathed the blade once more. Tomorrow would be a new day.

* * *

Six minutes. Only one left and Warriors felt like he was going to go crazy with anxiety. He confident, but he really did not know what would happen when the time came. And he didn’t want to think about all the negative outcomes. He’d been away for so long, they were numerous. Instead, he thought of the group. His third family.

━━━O━━━

Link, or Warriors as they now called him for convenience sake, loved traveling with this group of... him? It was a weird situation but he didn’t mind. Time travel was starting to become the norm for him, and he wasn’t sure if he should be worried about how easily he accepted it.

He was initially surprised by Time. It was strange, seeing the cynical, traumatized kid he met not even 3 years ago already into his late 20s or early 30s. Then again, he was glad that he grew up into a happy person. That was his greatest wish for him. 

Everyone was basically a picture-perfect hero. Twilight had immense strength and empathy, Time was stoic and strong, Wind was vibrant and kind, Hyrule and Wild were always looking for adventure, Four was levelheaded and always knew what to do, and Sky was literally the first hero. Hell, even Legend could get out of any situation and could be caring when he wanted to be. The odd one out, in Warriors’s eyes, was himself. A true hero would never even consider taking the life of another person. But of course, he could never say that. He would never tell them what he’s done. Best to keep his issues to himself rather than burden the group with his disturbing thoughts. That held true until Wild had a nightmare. 

The champion never seemed to sleep and when he did, he always did so away from the group. So tonight was rare since he couldn’t help but practically collapse from exhaustion in the middle of the camp. He tossed and turned in his bedroll, crying and muffling his screams in his pillow. Warriors, who had taken the first watch, decided to help. He walked to his side and poked his arm until he woke up. Wild sat up with a start and gasped for breath. Warriors hummed quietly until he calmed down.

“Sorry, was I loud?” Wild whispered with a load of guilt in his voice. Warriors shook his head.

“No, I just noticed. Wanna talk about it?” Wild nodded hesitantly.

“I- I had a nightmare about my adventure.” Warriors hummed knowingly but let the champion continue. “There’s this cult called the Yiga that are hunting me down to kill me for defeating their master and sealing away Ganon. A lot of them attacked me, so I had to defend myself. I didn’t have a choice so I-“ his voice hitched and he swallowed hard, blinking away tears. “I’m sorry.”

Warriors didn’t speak. He pulled the boy into a hug and let him cry against his shoulder. He kept his face calm even though he was screaming internally. 

“I get it. It’s ok, your still a good person,” he whispered repeatedly in Wild’s ear. 

The champion shook hard against his chest as he sobbed, but he eventually fell asleep. The nightmare must’ve taken a lot out of him. Warriors sighed and laid him back down onto his bedroll. He wiped the tears away from his cheeks and went back to the log he’d been sitting on. It really was a long night.

* * *

It was time. Warriors hands shook as he brought them up to knock on the door. He really couldn’t do this. He’d waited too long, they wouldn’t remember, and even if they did he was no hero, he was just an imposter, a failure, a-

The door slammed opened before he could knock. A woman with long black hair and an aged but kind face gave him a warm smile. 

“Took you long enough,” Trista greeted. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

She opened the door completely to reveal a hoard of children and teens. They screamed in joy and ran to his side, nearly tackling him in a flurry of hugs. A hand on his shoulder turned his attention to Fado, who’d grown to his height.

It’s good to see you again, Link, she sighed with a smile. A slap to the back of his head clearly indicated Linkle was behind him.

“Yea nice of you to finally show up after ditching us. You’ve been gone for way too long, big shot hero,” She grumbled, crossing he’d arms.

“Sorry about that,” Warriors replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Linkle scoffed and walked to Fado’s side.

“Whatever. I don’t care about your apology.” She paused and put her hands on her hips before letting a lopsided grin melt onto her face. “We’re just glad to have you back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always do this to Warriors, don’t I?  
> Also, This kind of ties in with the Talks with Twilight chapter about the captain, but you don’t have to read that first to understand this.  
> So, hope you liked this angsty chapter, the next one will be little brighter :)


	8. Eight Heroes Helping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four and some others help a friend

Four was worried about Wind. The sailor seemed to be operating on automatic, the usual exuberance and shine behind his smiles gone, replaced by fakes. Four didn’t know what brought about this change, but he was determined to make him feel better.

One bright morning, Four came up with a brilliant idea, but Wind was off with Warriors, the captain being on the same mission to help the boy. Four sighed and sat in his bedroll, head in his hands when Time approached.

“What’s wrong, smithy?”

“Nothing, for once. I’m just a bit worried about Wind. Have you noticed he’s been acting down?”

Time thought for a moment and sat down beside Four. “Yes, in fact, I have. The sailor hasn’t been himself. That’s why I granted the captain permission to take him to town and have some fun.”

Four jumped up. “Wait, he’s going to steal my idea! What exactly is he doing?”

Time shrugged. “He said something about a shooting mini-game and bowling. I’m not too sure what the details are though.”

“Damn it!” was the last thing Four said before he sprinted down the path that led to the town. Time watched him run off.

“What was that about?” Legend asked. Time shrugged.

“Nothing I’d know.”

━━━O━━━

Four had to admit that this was not the most dignified situation he’d ever been in. He was hidden in a box, watching Warriors escort Wind around town to different shops and play some games. Four bit his nails as he watched. He wasn’t spying, just collecting some valuable information in order to better help his friend. Wind's arms were filled with stuffed animals and candies that they definitely were not going to carry back to camp. Four wondered what they were going to do with all the junk they’d collected.

“Hey Wind, want to check out this last shop before we go?” Warriors asked brightly.

“Um, yea sure,” Wind responded. His tone wasn’t bad, but it had an edge to it that Four hated to hear the young boy have.

Warriors grabbed one of his shoulders gently. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. We can go back to camp if you're tired.” Wind shook his head.

“No, it's alright. I wanted to try some of the food here anyway.”

Warriors stared at the boy with a concerned look. Four couldn’t see Wind’s face from where he was hiding, but he assumed he shot Warriors as bright of a smile as he could muster. The captain smiled back and grabbed his hand, leading him off to the next location.

_ Do we really have to stay under this box? I feel like we’re going to roast alive in here. _

_ Yes, Green, it’s too dangerous to reveal or secret. Plus, splitting is way too flashy, and we’re trying to stay hidden here. _

** So what exactly is the plan to cheer up the sailor? Should we make him a new sword or take him to a hidden spring? We could ask Legend if there are any nice ones nearby. **

** Oh! We can take him to the beach! He’d love that, it’d remind him of home. **

_ The only issue is that the beach is like 300 fucking hours from here, and Time is never going to take that much of a detour. It’s not a bad idea, Red, but not feasible. _

_ That’s true, but we need to figure out what’s wrong so we can help him. Has anything traumatic happened recently to spark this behavior? _

** Not that I know of, but I don’t think he necessarily needs to have experienced new trauma to be the way he is, Vio. **

_ Fine. So how can we help? _

Four parked his box next to the vendor behind where the two were sitting. There were luckily only a few other people walking around this early in the morning, so it was easy to hear their conversation.

“Have you ever tried fizzy milk before?” Warriors asked. Wind shook his head.

“It’s great. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried a soda, but it’s like that, only super sweet and creamy. Want to try one?” Wind nodded and Warriors called over the vendor to order.

“So, anything on your mind, sailor?” Warriors asked again. He seemed to be doing all the taking.

“Nothing in particular,” Wind replied, keeping his head down. Warriors turned to him, and Four could see the worry painted clearly in his profile.

“Ok then, just know that I’m here for you, no matter what. You can talk to me about anything.”

“Yea, I know, thanks War.”

They sat in silence as they drank their fizzy milk. When they were done, they walked back the way they came through town. Four crept after them as quickly as he could, cursing the cramp he’d developed in his calf. They made a detour, turning down an alley and walking toward a large house. Outside were a few kids playing, being watched by two older women who were chatting as they knitted. Warriors called the children over, and Wind proceeded to hand out all the goodies he’d won. The captain looked at his liege with pride, and Four caught a glimpse of the ghost of a grin on the boy's face.

━━━O━━━

“Hey Four, where’ve you been,” Twilight asked as he watched the fish that were frying in a pan while Wild cut vegetables. He sat down with a plop in a patch of grass under a tree and leaned back, exhausted.

“Sneaking around,” he responded simply, which Twilight raised an eyebrow at but didn’t question further. Hyrule, who’d been busy with writing in his journal, walked over and sat beside Four, something obviously on his mind.

“Hey Four,” he said. Four grunted in response, too tired to formulate words. “I think somethings up with Wind.”

“Yea, I noticed,” he responded, not having the energy to open his eyes.

“I want to do something but I don’t know what, do you have any ideas?”

The voices in Four’s mind shouted ideas at one another, none of them being good enough to make the cut. He groaned at the mental debate before speaking.

“I was going to take him to play some games in town, but Warriors already did. So no.”

Wild’s ears perked up at their conversation. He finished slicing an onion and putting it in the pan before he injected his opinion.

“Whenever I felt down, I’d go and play with the korok in the Lost Woods, or just find one out in the wild and talk to it. They’re a little childish, but they always made me feel better.”

“What’s a korok?” Hyrule asked, cocking his head.

“They’re the children of the woods, protected by the Great Deku Tree.”

Time’s attention was suddenly caught. “The Great Deku Tree? Like the Kokiri?”

Wild looked at him with confusion. “I don’t know what a Kokiri is, but the koroks love playing games and pranks, and they can only be seen by children. And me.”

“That reminds me of...” Four bolted upright, gaining a huge amount of energy from inspiration.

“I’ve got it! Wild, Rule, Do you guys want to come along when Wind gets here?” They both shouted yes unanimously, and Wild left Twilight to watch the food. A few minutes later, Warriors and Wind arrived.

“We’re back!” Warriors shouted. They received mumbled greetings and waves from everyone around the camp. Before Wind could lie back in his bedroll, Four grabbed him by the wrist.

“Come with me. I want to show you something cool.” Wind exhaled heavily, his shoulders falling along with his gaze.

“I don’t know Four. I’m drained, and I just want to-“

“Trust me, it’s awesome. And I promise you’ll feel better afterward.” Wind eyed him with suspicion and curiosity.

“Alright.”

Four pulled the sailor along a path that led to a clearing in the middle of the woods, where Hyrule and Wild were sitting around a rock. They waved as two got near and took seats around the rock. Wind stared at it expectantly.

“Is this it? A rock?” Wild shook his head, unable to keep the grin from being plastered across his face.

“Pick it up,” he instructed. The boy sighed but obliged.

“I swear if it’s just a pile of bugs or-“

“Ya haha! You found me!” Said the adorable leaf creature in a burst of small trumpet sounds and excitement. Wind nearly dropped the rock on its head from being startled. Hyrule and Four stared in amazement.

“What is it?” Hyrule asked, not taking his eyes off it. The creature huffed before speaking in a squeaky voice.

“I’m right here ya know! You could just ask me!” Wild let out a small chuckle before lifting the creature in his hands.

“This is a korok. They’re from my time, but I figured they might’ve been around now.” He handed the creature to Wind.

The sailor’s face broke into a bright smile as the korok danced in his hands. It shook its little leaf head before looking around at the others.

“Wow, you all can see me! You must be very good children!”

“The best,” Four winked, earning a laugh out of Wind. He out the korok down and turned to Wild.

“Wild, I-“ Four held up a finger and shushed him, a sly grin on his face.

“Not yet. It’s my turn.” Four crawled over to the tall grass at the edge of the clearing and listened closely. When he heard what he was looking for, he reached down his hand gently into the grass and picked it up. He shuffled back over to the group, hiding whatever was on his hands behind his back.

“Ok, you ready?” He asked Wind.The sailor nodded, his face completely washed in excitement. Four pulled his hands from behind his back and presented it to the boy.

In his hands was a small, mouse-like creature. It wore a tiny red cap and had a green dress and a clover as an umbrella. It looked from Four to Wind and squeaked happily at the boy, who took it in his hands and was admiring its adorable appearance.

“This is a Minish, or a Forest Picori. Like koroks, they only appear to good children, and they leave little treasures in the grass for people to find, like rupees.” The Minish reached into its miniature pack and pulled out a shiny green rupee, offering it to Wind. He graciously accepted the gift and turned to Four with tears in his eyes.

“Thank you.”

Four gave the boy a half-smile. “I’ll only accept that thanks when I see you smile. Genuinely smile.”

Wind shot him a playful glare before bursting into laughter and smiling with his whole heart.

* * *

** BONUS: **

Twi: Does anyone know how to tell when fish is done cooking?

Time: When the skin is completely black.

Legend: No that’s when it’s burnt.

Time: I’d rather eat burnt fish than raw

*Several minutes later*

Wild: How did you manage to char the fish to ashes?

Twi and Legend: Ask Time


	9. Nine Songs a’ Singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule learns some songs

Music was ingrained in the Hero’s Spirit. It played a crucial part in nearly all of their adventures and all of the heroes could play at least one instrument. So Hyrule was confused as to why he never heard them playing anything. He decided it was time to remedy that issue and first spoke to Legend about it.

The veteran hero was busy doing absolutely nothing, just sitting on a log staring at some seagulls overhead when Hyrule approached him.

“Hey Rule,” he greeted without taking his eyes off the sky. Hyrule wondered if he had some sort of telepathy.

“Hey Leg, what’s up?” Hyrule took a seat beside his friend. Legend sighed and Hyrule could feel the nostalgia radiating from his breathes. 

“Just a memory of a song I heard in a dream.” The ghost of a smile threatened to cross his face. “I think of it whenever I see seagulls.” 

Hyrule jumped on the opportunity to learn a new song. He pulled out his flute. “Would you mind teaching me?”

Legend looked at him and opened his mouth to say something but closed it and reached into his bag. He retrieved a ukelele decorated in red and pink flowers and flipped it over in his hands, placing his fingers over the strings as he recalled the notes. Legend brought it up to his chest but hesitated, putting it back into his lap with a grimace on his face.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to show me if you don’t want to,” Hyrule added quickly, seeing the obvious debate he was having. With a deep sigh, Legend gave Hyrule a warm smile he’d reserved for only the traveler and shook his head. He really was a lot softer when he was alone with Hyrule.

“No, I’d like for you to learn it.” He brought the ukelele back up to his chest and paused before playing. “It’s called the Ballad of the Wind Fish.”

And he played. The notes ascended, twice in the same pretty pattern, before falling gently, rolling, building, and crescendoing like the waves. Legend’s fingers glided over each string gracefully, strumming beautiful sounds and filling the air with the sound of the sea. Hyrule lost himself in the song for a moment before remembering he was trying to learn it and played his flute along. After a few minutes, Legend trailed off slowly and Hyrule followed. Legend put down the instrument and smiled fondly at it before glancing up at the pelican that had made a comfortable nest on his head.

“That was beautiful,” Hyrule breathed, earning him a bright chuckle from Legend. He almost never heard the veteran laugh and it sounded like bells. 

“Anytime Rule, just ask and I’ll teach you a new one,” Legend grinned.

━━━O━━━

“Songs?” Twilight asked. Hyrule nodded and the farmhand tapped his chin in thought. “Got a violin?”

“I do!” Wind shouted. He quickly dug through his inventory and grabbed a leaf looking instrument and handed it to Twilight who eyed it warily. Wind rolled his eyes at his apprehensiveness. “It’s a violin that my friend Makar gave me. I doubt you’ll be as good as him, but you can try.”

Twilight huffed in slight irritation but gently played the strings to test them. “Sounds in tune.” He looked at Hyrule with a grin. “Ready?”

Hyrule presented his flute and nodded. Twilight brought the violin up to his neck and began playing. The song was sorrowful, gentle, and like the setting sun. It was gorgeous on the violin and probably would’ve sounded better on the piano, but it didn’t capture the same sadness and feeling of desperation it did on the stringed instrument. When Twilight finished, he brought the instrument down and stared into space longingly. Hyrule was worried he’d brought up a bad memory by asking him to play the song.

“Hey, Twi, are you ok?” He asked quickly. Twilight blinked back to focus and gazed at Hyrule distantly before closing his eyes and nodding.

“Yea, it just... reminds me of someone I miss.” He handed the violin back to Wind, who eyed him with concern. “Thanks for the violin, Wind.”

The boy shrugged. “What’s the song called?”

“Um, I don’t know it doesn’t really have a name. I just kind of made it up right now.” Hyrule’s mouth fell open at the admission.

“You just made that up? Right here on the spot?” 

Twilight nodded nonchalantly in confirmation. “Sorry if I disappointed you, but unless you wanted to hear Epona’s song for the hundredth time, this was your best option.”

“No no, that was incredible! I can’t believe you came up with something like that on the spur of the moment!” Hyrule practically shouted. Twilight laughed at his exuberance and ruffled his hair.

“Thanks for the praise. How about we call it...” he trailed off in thought for a few seconds before grinning sadly. “Lament.”

Hyrule could see Wind was about to ask who he was lamenting was but Hyrule managed to speak before he did. “Sounds great, Twi.” 

“I can teach you a song too!” Wind announced brightly, earning him an annoyed glare from Warriors who was trying to read quietly beside Time. He pulled out his Wind Waker. “It’s called the Ballad of Gales. I used it to teleport from one place to another on my first adventure, but it’s really pretty too. I think you’ll like it,” he said with a wink.

And he was right. While the Hyrule thought the Wind Waker was just some sort of magical baton, it allowed the sailor to conduct an illusory orchestra, which played the lavish tune in time with his hand movements. The song finished with a flurry of delicate notes. Just when Hyrule thought he was done, Wind upped his movements and the orchestra changed to a faster tune.

“And this,” Wind said in between the claps, “is a song from Dragon Roost Island!”

Hyrule struggled to keep in time with the music. Unlike the other songs, this one was a lot faster and required more control over the notes. But his flute fit right in with the other instruments beautifully, and the result was a snappy, catchy tune that lifted the mood after Twilight’s sad song. 

“That was great Roolie! You should really join the other sages so I can conduct your music with the Wind Waker,” Wind praised, making Hyrule blush. 

“I didn’t know you were so talented with the flute, Rule. You should give us a show sometime,” Twilight joked. Four entered their little circle on the ground, already brandishing his ocarina.

“I think you guys need to hear a real banger of a song,” he said with a grin. He put the ocarina to his lips and played a friendly, bright song that made Hyrule want to dance. It was cute and repetitive and an earworm that Hyrule knew he’d be humming in the coming weeks.

“That was a song they play at the Picori Festival. Can’t beat that can ya?” He challenged. During the time Four and Hyrule were playing, the other heroes made their way over, with Legend taking a seat close to Hyrule and Time, Warriors, Wild, and Sky sitting across from him.

“Ok, we should leave the old man for last since he’s probably got some good songs,” Warriors suggested from his spot next to Wind. “Why don’t you go next Sky? You're amazing with the harp.”

Sky turned slightly red at the praise but unhooked his harp from his belt. “Well, since we're all here, how about the Song of the Hero?” 

He strummed chords gently, allowing the majestic song that sounded oddly familiar to float through the air. Hyrule played along with ease, his fingers easily playing the tune he’d felt like he’d heard a hundred times before. 

“You’ve still got it, huh,” Wild teased, shoving Sky playfully when he finished.

“I’d be worried if I didn’t. This song is what made me a hero.” He gazed happily at the Goddess Harp that was glittering under the light.

“What about you, War? Got any songs?” Wind asked.

“None that I can play. I don’t know any instruments.”

Legend covered his mouth in a poor attempt to hide a snicker, earning him an eye roll from the captain.

“Well then I’ll go next,” Wild spoke, summoning an accordion from his Sheikah Slate.

“You just carry that around?” Four asked incredulously. 

“Yup! My friend Kass gave it to me and taught me how to play. I’m better at the piano, but I’ve got this around for whenever I need it.”

Legend scoffed. “When would you need an accordion?”

“Oh I don’t know, Leg, when would you need a cello?” Wild snapped back.

“Can you just teach me the song?” Hyrule said frustratedly. After one last glare at Legend, Wild got himself set up.

“This song doesn’t exactly have a name, but I think it feels like the wild.” He closed his eyes, humming something quietly before he began playing. The song started off slowly before quickening and crescendoing several times. It felt like how Wild’s Hyrule felt, wild and expansive and beautiful. It ended gently on a simple note and Wild beamed at the others

“If you can play that so well, why are you so bad at the harp?” Sky asked. Wild shrugged.

“Dunno, probably because I’ve never played a string instrument. It’s the old man’s turn now,” Wild pointed out. Time grinned and pulled out his dark blue ocarina.

“So many songs... I’m not sure if I can choose just one,” the old man said thoughtfully. Wind groaned.

“Come on! Just chose one I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Time’s face hardened slightly as he remembered a certain tune. He eyed the ocarina carefully before he spoke. “This song is one that can heal broken souls, though I’m not too sure of its power now. Use it carefully, Hyrule.” The traveler nodded and swallowed at the warning. He knew Time’s songs were filled with power from the goddesses themselves, so he was going to be sure to never misuse it. The older hero sighed before bringing the instrument to his lips and closing his eyes.

The song was sad, to say the least. Possibly the one filled with the most sorrow out of all the ones he’d learned that day, and it filled Hyrule with a strange sense of dread. He could barely finish the song when Time stopped abruptly, seeing the nervousness in the boy’s fingers. Twilight stared at Time with his mouth agape.

“That’s the Song of Healing,” Twilight whispered.

“You know it?”

Twilight cleared his throat and quickly looked away from his mentor. “Y-yea. Someone taught it to me.” Hyrule noted his obvious avoidance of the topic but saw Time saw the same thing and knew the older hero would talk to him about it later.

“Wait wait wait, that’s not the Song of Healing!” Wind shouted, standing indignantly. “This is the real Song of Healing.”

He wiped out what looked like a pan flute and played a short, upbeat tune that had the complete opposite mood of Time’s song. He put the instrument away and looked at them with a smug smile on his face.

“Strange how both of you know this song, though your's is completely different. The Ballad of the Gales also sounded familiar. I suppose this has something to do with the strange sequence of the timeline,” Time said, thinking out loud.

“Yeah cause I’ve heard some of these songs before but the composition is a little different,” Wild added, fiddling with his accordion and quietly playing a remixed version of Epona’s Song.

“Well, I’ve learned songs from everyone except Warriors, so thank you guys,” Hyrule said with a grin. Warriors put up a hand to ask a question, which Hyrule ignored but the captain spoke anyway.

“Why don’t you show us a song, Roolie? You must have at least one, right?” Warriors asked. Hyrule turned a little red at the question which Legend immediately noticed.

“Hyrule can play whatever the fuck he wants. He’s not yours to command, pretty boy,” the veteran growled. Hyrule could see the argument was about to escalate and intervened.

“It’s not a big deal, I think I’ve got one song you guys might like.”

Legend leaned back almost immediately, all the anger gone from his voice. “Whenever your ready, Rule.”

“What!? But you just-“ Warriors began, but he was swiftly stopped with a harsh shush from Sky who gestured for Hyrule to start.

“I guess this is just a warp song. There’s no special name or anything,” he said before he began. 

The song he’d chosen was relatively short, only being a few seconds long, but Hyrule had expanded upon it during the very little downtime between battles and traveling he had on his adventure. He’d written it while imagining crossing Hyrule Field just before sunrise when the air was still cool and the breeze blew his already fluffy hair into an even bigger puff. It was just relaxing, and Hyrule all but forgot his nerves as he played for the group. Both Four and Time were looking at him thoughtfully when he finished.

“I’ve got a warp song just like that, but it’s way shorter,” Four said. “You did great kid.”

Time’s brows furrowed slightly in thought. “That sounded a bit like...” 

“You’ve got talent kid,” Warriors said with pride, slapping his back. Hyrule gripped his flute tightly but let a smile overtake his features. 

“We should start a band! And I’ve got just the name for it,” Wind announced happily. “How about the Chai-“

“NO!” Every hero besides Hyrule and Four shouted simultaneously. Wind slumped down with a disappointed grumble as the other heroes gently played a song that’d been singing through all of their souls and minds since they set their hands on an instrument. Hyrule smiled nostalgically at the sound that carried through the afternoon breeze. He loved the sound of music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song list in order:
> 
> Ballad of the Wind Fish— Link’s Awakening; on the Sea Ukelele
> 
> Midna’s Lament— Twilight Princess; on Makar’s Violin
> 
> Ballad of Gales— Wind Waker
> 
> Dragon Roost Island— Wind Waker
> 
> Picori Festival— Minish Cap; on the Wind Ocarina
> 
> Song of the Hero— Skyward Sword; on the Goddess Harp
> 
> Breath of the Wild Main Theme— Breath of the Wild
> 
> Song of Healing— Majora’s Mask; On the Ocarina of Time
> 
> Song of Healing— Spirit Tracks; on the Spirit Flute
> 
> Horse God Spring— Breath of the Wild
> 
> *Ocarina of Time title theme— Ocarina of Time; on the Flute
> 
> Main Theme/Overworld Theme— All games
> 
> *Just the longer version of the warp song from both the original Legend of Zelda and Minish Cap


	10. Ten Zeldas Chilling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Zeldas get together for a day of fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nicknames for those who don't know  
> Lullaby- Time's Zelda; Ocarina of Time  
> Artemis- Warriors's; Hyrule Warriors  
> Sun- Sky's; Skyward Sword  
> Dusk- Twilight's; Twilight Princess  
> Dot- Four's; Minish Cap  
> Fable- Legend's; A Link to the Past  
> Dawn & Aurora- Hyrule's; Zelda 1 and The Adventure of Link  
> Flora- Wild's; Breath of the Wild  
> Tetra- Wind's; Wind Waker
> 
> EDIT: So I really fucked up and confused Dawn and Aurora and now I’m going back and fixing it. So sorry for the confusion, my mistake.

“Well well well, would ya look at what that damned goddess did this time!” Tetra spoke loudly, crossing her arms with a sly grin dancing across her tanned face. “Looks like Link isn’t the only one who gets an adventure!”

Dot and Fable whopped loudly at the prospect of some fun and exploration while. Dusk only shook her head and sat quietly in the corner.

“I’m not sure adventuring would be the wisest idea, considering very few of us have any actual hand to hand combat experience,” Dawn stated nonchalantly, observing her nails carefully. “Plus, I’d rather not spend the day or however long we’re going to be together rolling around in the dirt.”

Aurora fiddled with the hem of her dress nervously. “Um, I have to agree with the queen, I think we should-“

“Oh, you’re also a queen?” Lullaby asked, perking up at the title. Dawn nodded, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, but Lullaby reached forward and grabbed her hands with passion. “I’m so happy there’s at least one other person who can relate. I fucking hate being called a princess.”

“Oh fuck yea!” Tetra shouted, walking to the pair. “I mean like, come the fuck on, I’ve been a queen for years now, I swear to Hylia the next time someone calls me princess I'll...”

Artemis sighed and cleared her throat loudly, getting everyone’s attention. While Flora glanced up, she immediately returned her attention to her journal, where she was furiously scribbling notes on the other Zeldas.

“Queens and princesses, I understand the situation is quite exciting and new, but we must keep a level head, lest we fall prey to the enemies attacks,” she commanded sternly. “Now, I believe we should pool our power together to contact the goddess and decipher why exactly we have been summoned.”

“Hey, that’s a really good idea! But I basically am Hylia. I didn't bring us together though, that's me from the future, but I can see what she- I want,” Sun said with a twinkling wink. She closed her eyes and her body glowed with an ethereal golden light. When she opened them again, she clapped her hands together and said, "We're here to go gift shopping!"

Silence descended over the group and was soon broken by the giggles of Dot and Tetra. Sun pouted and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t see what’s so funny about that.”

Dot waved aside her laughter and wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Nothing, Sun, it’s just that it’s a little hard to believe Hylia brought us together from across time just to get some gifts for Nayru’s Day.”

Artemis placed a hand on the smaller girl’s shoulder and nodded in agreement. “It is odd, but we must obey her wishes. Let us commence operation ‘Buy Gifts’.”

And so they did, staying together as a group as they strolled through town. They were in Dusk and Twilight’s Castle Town, meaning there were more than enough shops to check out. Dusk kept her hood up the whole time, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention, but the other Zeldas did more than a good job at that. After the fifth catcall from a local man, Tetra was fed up. She lept at the next guy she saw, tackling him and brandishing a sword at his neck.

“I swear, if see another fucking person staring at me with their stupid ass mouth opened, I will shove my fucking sword right up your as-“

“Ok Tetra, I think they get the point,” Dawn said hastily, grabbing the pirate's wrist and dragging her away from the guy.

“Oh come on Dawny, your no fun,” Dot complained, crossing her arms. 

“Dot, Fable, I think I saw some place fun a little way back, would you like to come with me?” Sun asked brightly. The younger girls nodded and the three skipped off down the street.

“So much for sticking together,” Artemis grumbled under her breath. “Aurora, are you ok?”

The princess looked pale and her face was covered in sweat. Her hand gripped at her dress until her knuckles were white and Artemis could tell she was having trouble breathing. She took the girl’s hand and began leading her away.

“Well be back in a little,” she called before leading her to a secluded area.

“How about us queens stick together then?” Lullaby suggested. “I would very much like to try out one of the shop archery shops. I think it’d be a lot of fun.”

“Hell yea! Let’s go!” Tetra yelled, grabbing Dawn and Lullaby's hands and hastily sprinting forward. That left Dusk and Flora by themselves.

“I suppose the two of us should stay together then,” Dusk said. Flora nodded nervously before following the brunette into a small accessory shop.

While it was cold outside, the warmth and smell of fire inside were more than welcome. Flora walked in and out of the isles, taking note of the mechanical items and comparing them to the mechanisms inside the Divine Beasts. There were small trinkets that could perform simple movements on their own: very few were as complex as the mechanical wonders of Sheikah technology in Flora’s time. As she looked around, she saw a set of leather gloves sitting on one of the shelves. They looked like they’d be perfect for Wild, since her knight always had a habit of losing or burning the gloves he had. Maybe he’d take better care of them if Flora gave them to him as a gift. She took them off the shelf with a smile at the thought of his reaction. 

Dusk was having far more trouble finding a gift. She supposed she should get one for Twilight, the Hero of her kingdom, but she didn’t really know what he’d want. The last time she spoke with him about anything other than a mission or task was... two years ago? Maybe a few Nayru’s Day back. Whenever it was, it wasn’t recently, so she was left wondering what he’d want. Flora noticed and walked to her ancestor’s side, observing the art supplies she was glancing over uneasily.

“Don’t know what to get?” Flora asked, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice. She was still not used to social interaction after a hundred years of solitude. Dusk shook her head.

“Is that... bad?” She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “Lin- Twilight has done so much for the kingdom, given up so much. And yet, I don’t even know the first thing about him. Like when his birthday is or what he likes to do during his free time. How can I treat him in such a way when he’s devoted his entire life to me?”

Flora was taken aback by the outwardly stoic and cold princess’s sudden admission. But she could relate wholeheartedly to her dilemma. 

“I was the same way once. Though far worse. I didn't treat my knight the best, even when he really did nothing to deserve my anger.” She furrowed her brows as she remembered the horrible things she’d said to him in her fits of rage and frustration. “And yet, we were still able to move past that and become friends. Even when he lost his memories and became a completely new person. It was difficult, of course, but over time, I grew excited to learn more about the person he'd had become. And I could not be any happier for him than I am now.

“I suppose you could use this opportunity as a chance to open up those doors to friendship that you think are closed. As long as you have the key, it will never be locked,” Flora finished with a grin. The older princess let her expression soften some and grabbed Flora’s hand, squeezing gently.

“You speak such beautiful words, I’m glad to know my kingdom is in the hands of someone as wise as you,” Dusk complimented, her lips turning up just a fraction. Flora blushed at the praise of her ancestor.

“I- I’m r- r- really not,” she stuttered out. She closed her eyes and counted down from 5 in the way Wild taught her in an effort to compose herself before turning her full attention to the shelf. “I think he’d appreciate a set like this.”

Dusk eyed her carefully before humming in agreement and grabbing the set of pencils from the shelf. “Yes, I think so too.”

━━━O━━━

The Queen Crew strolled confidently through the street, paying very little mind to the crowd they’d attracted. Dawn hummed as she carried the bags of rupees they’d won and half-listened as Lullaby and Tetra discussed where to go next. Their debate was cut short when Dawn pointed out a sign pointing to a field separated into smaller fighting circles.

“A tournament of sorts?” Lullaby remarked and Tetra spoke to the director of the event. She returned to the other two with three tickets in her hand and passed it to each of them.

“Our admission tickets!” She declared. Dawn raised an eyebrow at her in question.

“Just to watch?”

Tetra poorly hid a snicker. “You’ll see.”

And they did not even a second later when the announcer yelled, “Lullaby vs The Boulder in ring 3! Tetra vs Kuzo in ring 4!” 

Tetra ran off to her ring before she could be berated by Dawn. Lullaby only shrugged and made her way to her own fight. Dawn eyed the ticket in her hand before waving it off and making her way to the area between both fights that allowed her to view them at the same time. 

“Are youuuuuu ready!?” The announcer yelled. The crowd cheered back. “In 3,”

Tetra brought out her sword and grinned menacingly.

“2,” 

Lullaby’s stood confidently, smiling easily at her opponent.

“GO!”

Tetra lept forward, dodging Kuzo’s swipe at her head. She kicked him hard in the chest, knocking the man over, and jumped on his stomach. She pushed the edge of her blade close to his neck and dug her heels hard into his abdomen. The pirate’s fight was over in just a few seconds, and the same was true for Lullaby’s.

In the starting seconds, she threw down what looked like a Deku Nut, blinding everyone nearby. As soon as they regained their vision, the crowd was witness to Lullaby having transformed into what looked like a Sheikah fighter, with only one of her now red eyes visible. She waited for The Boulder to come barreling towards her before she easily jumped over him, kicking his head from behind and throwing blunted knives to knock him out. She was stood triumphantly as the crowd celebrated her victory.

“And the winners are... TETRA AND LULLABY!!!” The announcer practically screamed. Dawn waited with a smug smile as the two of them approached.

“That didn’t take long,” she greeted. 

“And hopefully you won’t either,” Tetra said with a half-smile. The announcer then stated that Dawn was to fight and she shot a glare at Tetra. Lullaby chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Crush em, Dawny.”

Dawn rolled her eyes and entered the ring with the intention of doing just that. A person in a dark cloak entered from the other side.

“Zelda...” they half-whispered, half-spoke. Dawn cocked her head.

“Oh? You know my name?”

“Of course I do,” they growled before dramatically lowering their hood. They had white hair and green-tinged pale skin, with one diamond earring hanging from their ear. Their face had a look of fury that Dawn didn’t understand. “I, Ghirahim, shall destroy you for my master!”

He summoned a sword made entirely of flat diamonds and swung it wildly in Dawn's direction. While she was initially shocked by the man’s strange accusation but quickly brushed them aside and created a large shield of blue magic that dissolved the sword upon impact.

“But that’s-“ Ghirahim started, stumbling backward before Aurora made a large magic crystal with the wave of her hand, entrapping him. 

“I was going to let you go, but it appears your evil. And I always kick evil’s ass, so...” she snapped her fingers and the crystal spun as Ghirahim screamed with rage from within before disappearing in a flash of light. The crowd was silent until the announcer spoke.

“Um, I don’t really know what happened but I think the winner is Dawn?!” He said hesitantly and the audience erupted into cheers. Dawn exited the ring and glared angrily at Tetra, who only grinned mischievously.

“Alright, no fighting you two, great job everyone and look,” Lullaby held up a large bag presumably filled with rupees, “we won a lot of money!”

Dawn sighed and brushed her dress. “Let’s head back to the group, they’re probably waiting for us.”

“Ok, but only after one more archery contest, I need to prove I’m better than Lullaby,” Tetra declared.

Lullaby nodded. “It’s on, pirate.”

━━━O━━━

Artemis placed Aurora's hand on her chest, allowing the girl to follow her own breathing. She eventually calmed down just enough, letting her nerves slow as she focused on following the rhythm of Artemis’s chest. 

“Better?”

Aurora nodded slowly and swallowed. “Thank you.”

“It’s really not a problem.” Artemis reached into a small bag she kept by her hip and pulled out a candy, handing it to Aurora. “During the war, I had to comfort a lot of the soldiers who had similar symptoms. Warriors usually calmed down when I gave him these. I made them myself.”

Aurora unwrapped the hard candy and popped it into her mouth. It was surprisingly sweet. The girl smiled. “It’s really good.”

Artemis blushed a little but kept her face calm. “I’m glad you like it.” They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. “Do you not like crowds?”

“Not anymore. Maybe before...” she trailed off but continued after a few seconds. “I haven’t been around people in like a century. I’m not used to being in large groups like this anymore.”

Artemis nodded and sat beside Aurora gracefully. “I understand. When I returned back from the war, I always had the urge to be out on the battlefield with the knights, but my duties remained in the kingdom. I was far from comfortable and dinners always felt oppressive. But it helps if you talk to someone about how your feeling. I spoke to Impa, my Royal advisor. Do you have anyone like that?”

Aurora blushed and turned her head away. She could feel her pulse quickening at the thought of him. “H-Hyrule, my Link. But he tends to avoid my summons to the castle.”

“He most likely feels the same as you, nervous around crowds. Perhaps some time away would do you both some good.” Artemis paused before cheekily adding, “together.”

Aurora buried her face in her hands in embarrassment while Artemis lightly laughed. 

“Am I really that obvious?” She groaned. The commander rubbed her back and let a smile melt the frown she’d had planted on her face.

“Just a little, but I don’t blame you. He seems very sweet, and quite handsome.”

“They all are, but he’s...” Aurora huffed and shook her head before standing. “Never mind that. We should get back to the group.” 

“In a bit, we still have some shopping to do,” Artemis noted.

━━━O━━━

“And that,” Dot said, pulling the rope on the trap a bit tighter. “Is how you make a rope triggered the trap.”

Fable clapped happily and adjusted the trap. “They’ll be coming soon, right Sun?”

Sun nodded but kept her eyes trained on the surrounding forest. “They’re coming now! Hide!” The other princesses scrambled to their hiding spots behind a bush while Sun stepped a little away and greeted the heroes with a bright smile.

“Took you boys long enough!” Sky put his hands up with a weary face while Legend and Four argued behind him over the Quake Medallion.

“Sorry, these two slowed us down,” he responded before grabbing Sun’s hands. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here, but I’m more than glad

Sky turned her head down bashfully before kissing him. “Me too.” 

“Ugh alright! You guys are in love, big whoop. Why the fuck are we out here in the middle of the woods?” Legend held the medallion over his head as Four jumped for it. Sun gave him an unamused look before answering.

“Follow me and I’ll show you.”

She led them straight to the area right in front of the bushes where Dot and Fable were hiding. The two suppressed giggles as they watched silently. Sun let go of Sky’s hand and stepped away from them, turning around and waiting for them to step into the right spot. Four looked around suspiciously.

“Ok, what’s all this about then-“ his question was cut off by the trigger being released, allowing the trap to sweep all three heroes up from below and hanging them in a woven cage from a tree. The two hidden princesses couldn’t suppress their laughter anymore and they fell onto their sides, rolling around in pure joy. Sun hummed as she reached into the net and plucked their wallets off the heroes’ belts, peaking into their stash and whistling at the sight.

“Dot! What the fuck?!” Four cried as he tried to push himself away from Legend but failed. The veteran groaned loudly in frustration at being stuck in the ropes.

“Fable I swear to Hylia I will hunt you down!”

Fable stuck out her tongue. “And do what? Kidnap me? News flash, you’ve already done that!” She laughed maniacally as Legend yelled insults at her. Sky gave Sun a look so full of betrayal that it almost broke her heart. Almost.

“Sorry sleepyhead, but the girls and I are spending a day on the town, and we kind of need funds.” She turned and locked arms with the other girls before calling back, “I’ll pay you back!”

━━━O━━━

The Zeldas sat around the large table in the corner of the bar, chatting and showing off the gifts they bought to each other. Dawn, ever the shipper, decided to ask the girls a question.

“Who here is in love with their Link?”

Tetra raised her hand boldly, crossing her arms and refusing eye contact with anyone who pressed the matter, only saying “it’s a pirate thing”, to anyone who asked. Sun unsurprisingly followed the other girl’s lead, bursting into a fit of giggles at the thought of her hero. Next was Aurora, which made Dawn smirk widely, finished by a surprise of Flora.

“You too, scientist?” Artemis asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. Flora turned bright red.

“It’s alright, Flora, I get it,” Aurora said warmly. 

“Geez, all these lovebirds are going to make me sick,” Fable gagged. “How can any of you be in love with him?”

Lullaby rolled her eyes. “You only say that because Legend is your brother.”

“Legend’s your brother!?” Dot asked loudly, slamming her hands on the table. “How is that even fair? I wish I was related to a hero...”

“Trust me, you don’t,” Fable said vaguely before sipping her drink with a tired look on her face.

“I wish people would stop saying we were in love,” Dusk said with a sigh. “He’s simply my most trusted soldier and we are only friends. Nothing more.”

“Exactly!” Lullaby shouted before taking a swing of her drink. “I mean, the man’s already married. Give me a break.”

“Well I for one am more than pleased that Aurora has found herself a suitable partner,” Dawn said with a wink. “A hundred years is a long time to wait.”

Flora nearly choked on her drink. “A hundred years?!”

Aurora nodded. “To make a long story short, I was cursed, fell asleep for a hundred years before Hyrule woke me up. And that’s why there two Zeldas during his time.”

“I had to fight Ganon for a hundred years while I waited for Wild,” Flora said in a low voice.

“Guess you two are both old ladies then,” Tetra joked, leaning back far in her chair.

“Don’t lean back,” Artemis warned but she was shrugged off.

“And how many of you fight?” Lullaby took a sip before continuing. “You all know about our little secret, don’t you?”

“I think you meant our ‘Sheik-ret’?” Artemis tried to joke, but her deadpan delivery resulted in silence from the rest of the group followed by a few coughs.

“I guess the art of transformation has been lost over the years,” Lullaby relented.

“Could you perhaps teach me? I’m trying to reconstruct the history of our kingdom since the Calamity destroyed our records, and I’d be most grateful if you could provide us with some of your knowledge,” Flora asked, holding her book close to her chest. Lullaby grinned and pulled the girl into her side.

“Of course, and I’m sure the others would be more than willing to help as well.”

“Oh, hell yeah!-“ Tetra shouted before falling backward as she leaned too far back.

“Told you,” Artemis supplied as Tetra groaned.

“Do you know about the Minish or Picori?” Dot asked from over Flora’s shoulder. The scientist shook her head.

“You must know about the Oracles,” Fable said but was shocked to learn Flora didn’t.

“I’ll tell you everything there is to know about Skyloft and the founding of our kingdom.” Sun beamed at the princess.

“The Twili Invasion by the usurper King is a key moment in our history that should never be forgotten,” Dusk said stoically.

“Dawn and I can tell you about how we survived after the Ganondorf defeated the Hero of Time,” Aurora replied brightly. Flora smiled at all the queens and princesses of Hyrule.

“Thank you, all of you for your help.”

Lullaby nodded knowingly. “Any time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE this chapter. It was the second most amount of fun I've ever had writing fanfic. And seriously, we need more content with the Zeldas


	11. Eleven Heroes Cooking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have a cooking contest

Wild was sick. That fact was made painfully obvious when he refused to go exploring in the nearby woods with Hyrule, which he would never do, even if his leg was falling off. So Twilight immediately grew worried about the health of his protégé. He approached Wild’s sickly form, lying down on his bedroll with a grimace spread across his face. The others were trying to set up camp on their own, but no one dared to try and cook dinner.

“Hey Cub, not feeling too good?” Twilight placed a tentative hand on Wild’s forehead, feeling how hot he was. Wild grunted in response. Twilight turned to address the rest of the group. “Wild’s sick guys, so we’ll need to figure out what we’re eating for dinner.”

A collective groan rang around the group at the thought of having to make their own food. “I’d rather eat toxic waste than anything you guys can make,” Legend said.

“Why don’t we all work together and make different parts of the meal?” Hyrule suggested. 

Warriors had a look of surprised agreement. “That’s actually not a half-bad idea Rule. Let’s do that.”

“Let's we split up into three groups of four?” Four began scribbling in the dirt. “I’ll split and the colors can be on one team, and you guys can divide yourselves.”

“Wait, you can do what now?” Wind backtracked, but he was ignored by everyone.

Sky shook his head. “That’s not fair you guys work together too well.”

“I agree with Sky, I think the four of you should be divided into each team,” Time said. “The first is Warriors, Green, Blue, and Sky. Then Twi, Red, Hyrule, and Wind. Then me, Vio and Legend.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Wild said suddenly, standing in front of his bedroll.

“I thought you were sick.” Twilight stared at him in shock. The champion chuckled and shook his head like an amused parent.

“Oh I am Twi, but you guys aren’t.” He snapped his fingers and the heroes were transported to a place with three separate kitchen stations, each equipped with several stoves, ovens, and tools. Wild took a seat at a table of the far end of the room, which had a large clock hanging above him. 

“Contestants, today you will be making 3 separate meals. Warriors’s group will be preparing an appetizer, Twilight’s the main course, and Time’s the desert. The required ingredients are in the basket on the table, but feel free to use anything else in your dish. You have one hour to prepare, plate, and present your dish, and your time starts... now!”

━━━O━━━

And so the strange cooking competition began. Warriors immediately opened their basket and pulled out a star fragment.

“Well, how the fuck are we going to cook with this shit?” Green poked at the glowing object. Sky slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch it.” Green rolled his eyes at the Chosen Hero but retracted his hand.

“Why don’t we make Rito Toast, an omelet, and sausage? That’s easy and there’s no way we could mess it up,” Blue offered. Warriors nodded and tapped his chin.

“Ok I’ll work on the Rito Toast, Sky and Green can do the sausage, and Blue work on the eggs. We’ll grind the star and use it as a garnish. Let’s go!” 

The heroes raced to grab their supplies. Warriors grabbed bread, eggs, cream, and sugar. He cut the bread and mixed the other ingredients together until the mixture looked smooth. He dipped his finger in it and determined it needed more sugar. Not wanting to waste time, the captain picked up the whole bag of sugar and poured it into the mixture slowly. Unfortunately, he ended up putting way too much, so he didn’t taste it and just decided it was good enough. Warriors soaked both sides of the bread in the mixture and readied a pan, placing the pieces of bread on it and cooking them until they were dark brown. Green and Sky were experiencing far more difficulties trying to cook the sausage.

“Just cut them and throw them in the pan,” Sky commanded. Green grumbled and ignored his orders.

“It’ll go faster and look better if you just toss it over a fire.” Green turned the sausages he had roasting over the fire until it was black on all sides. Sky rolled his eyes and instead focused on trying to keep his meat from charring, which he entirely failed at.

Blue was having a bit of an easier time with the eggs. He cracked three eggs and poured some salt and pepper onto both sides. Things were actually going extremely well, compared to his teammates' efforts, until he discovered a bottle labeled “Goron Xtra-Spice!” and poured the entire bottle over the eggs. It was red, and red always meant good and nice.

━━━O━━━

“Ok, so we’ve got... Moblin guts?” Twilight cringed at the disgusting ingredient. Wind grimaced and held his nose, while Red and Hyrule poked at it tentatively.

“Well we can make my grandma’s crab stew and chop this up,” Wind said. “It’ll be a little hard but I think we can manage!”

“What should we each do then?” Red asked. 

“I’ll make the broth since that’s the hardest part. Twi can cut vegetables, you can steam the crabs and Hyrule can make the rolls that go on the side. I don’t actually know how to do those things so don’t ask me for advice,” Wind added with a wink. 

Twilight shook his head but grabbed the sharpest knife he could find and began chopping some vegetables that looked like they’d go well in a soup. He chopped onion, potatoes, carrots, and the Moblin guts, which he decided to add extra seasoning too and cook before he put it in the boiling water. 

Hyrule was frankly lost. He’d never baked before and he’d never cooked a meal in his life. So he just grabbed some sandwich bread, threw some random vegetables he found on top of it, and slapped it on a pan, cooking it until both sides of each slice were black. 

Red couldn’t for the life of him find the fucking crabs. Wild wasn’t any help either, since he was busy flicking through pictures and giggling. He sprinted around the kitchens, searching for anything with claws and that was red, nearly breaking down crying as he did. He didn’t find any food matching that description, but he did find some white clams. He shrugged as he quickly tossed them into a boiling pot of water for a few seconds before fishing them out with a ladle and putting them on a plate. He grabbed some paints Four had stolen from Sky the other day and fell back on his last resort.

Wind was having a grand time just tossing pounds of salt and cream into the pot he was making broth in. He sang all the while.

“Because the wind is high, it blows my mind,” he sang loudly. Twilight’s ear twitched in irritation as he added the seasoning.

“Because, the wind, is hiiiiiigh~!”

Twilight slammed down the bottle of whatever it was and turned to Wind. “Can ya keep it down? I’m tryin' ta focus.” Wind winked at him and continued making his concoction.

━━━O━━━

Time just sat and stirred the bowl of chocolate frosting and watched Legend and Vio work their magic. The two got along surprisingly well, considering their personalities. He listened to their conversation with delight and relaxation.

“The easiest way to do this is just put a hard chocolate candy in the center and bake it like that,” Legend stated as he focused on filling the little baking cup with batter. Vio nodded along. “That way, we don’t have to worry about it leaking out before you take a bite out of it.”

Vio turned to glance over at Time. “Are you finished mixing the chocolate?” The older hero nodded. “Ok, can you pour it into a pan and simmer it for a bit?”

Time didn’t really know what that meant, but he followed the instructions as best as he could, keeping the heat low. Legend and Vio calmly put the tray of cake batter into the oven, keeping track of time to make sure they took them out after 15 minutes. Legend took over from Time and let the old man and Vio relax and take a look around the kitchens. It was pure chaos. Red was frantically racing around, searching for something while Wind sang a strangely alluring song and Sky and Green argued over some burnt sausages. 

“Looks like we’re doing a lot better,” Vio spoke. Time couldn’t help but agree.

“I might’ve made a mistake assigning these groups.”

Legend scoffed and raised an eyebrow in amusement. “A mistake? Definitely not, especially when we’re going to win.”

After the cakes were completely cooked, Vio took them from the oven and set the tray on the counter. Legend filled a bag with chocolate and let Time coat the cakes in the frosting. He added the garnish: the provided ingredient of a Silent Princess that was ground up and mixed with sugar before being turned into a fine powder and sprinkling it over the cakes. The smell was tantalizing.

“And time!” Wild announced from across the room. “Please put your meals on the carts and get ready to present them.”

The three heroes placed the deserts on the cart and pushed it forward.

“Let’s win this,” Legend said with a smirk.

━━━O━━━

Wild cut a piece off the toast and sniffed it. Smelled edible. He put it in his mouth and nearly gagged because of how sweet it was.

"And? Good, isn't it?" Warriors smirked, satisfied with his work. Wild didn't bother looking up, instead hoping to wash out the taste with some well-cooked meat. But as soon as he touched it, the sausage fell into a sad pile of ashes. He sighed and cut the other sausage, which was a feat since it was tough before deciding not to force himself to eat it. One glance at the bright red eggs told Wild something was wrong with them, but he took the chance and nibbled at it. The spice made his eyes water and he choked on it and spit it out.

"OK, you guys lost no question.”

Green stomped his foot and muttered some curses while Sky scowled at him. Warriors and Blue shot each other looks of irritation. “I guess Twi’s group is next.”

Twilight presented a steaming bowl of soup that actually didn’t look that bad. The smell, on the other hand, was atrocious. It reeked of dried blood and way too much salt, so Wild pushed the bowl aside and instead looked at the rolls. Well, they were just pieces of normal, sliced bread that were toasted until black and smelled liked onion. Another inedible dish he guessed.

“Ok, Time, please tell me you guys actually made something... acceptable,” Wild said tiredly. Legend stepped forward with a smirk on his face.

“Trust me, it’s beyond that.”

Wild’s eyes widened at the sight of the cake. It actually looked half decent, and it smelled great. If it tasted anywhere near as good as he hoped it would, then this group would take home the title of champions no problem. Wild took a small piece into his fork, observing it for any inconsistencies. Chocolate poured from the center, and his mouth watered at the sight. With a quick prayer to Hylia that he doesn’t get poisoned, he ate the cake. 

“Well?” Vio asked after a few minutes of silence. “How is it?”

Wild stared at him before bursting out laughing. “It’s shit!”

Legend and Vio’s mouths fell opened simultaneously. “How!? It came out perfect!”

“What did you put on it to make it smell good?” 

“Perfume...” Time whispered. Wild slapped his forehead and rested his face on the table.

“You guys are hopeless, aren’t you?”

* * *

**BONUS:**

*Hyrule, Twilight, and Wind are crouched around Wild, who’s lying sick in his bedroll.*

Wind: He’s sick again?! Hasn’t he been like this for like, a week?

Hyrule: I think it’s food poisoning this time.

Twi: From what?

Wild: *coughs dramatically* What the fuck do you expect to happen when you serve someone raw crab and cake doused in perfume? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh this was fun. The recipe for "Rito" toast is basically french toast and it's kind of accurate except I use a blender. This was originally going to be a Wild/Twi sick fic but I turned it into an episode of Chopped: Zelda Edition.  
> The song Wind sings is "Because" by the Beatles


	12. Twelve Days of Nayru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A big Nayru's Day eve party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yea, it’s all coming together.  
> Also,  
> EVERYONE is here
> 
> EDIT: Dawn and Aurora are switched because I'm dumb and confused them the first time.

_ Hello! You are cordially invited to Wind’s Nayru’s Day party! It will be on December 24, at 9:00 pm, and we’ll spend the night partying until Nayru’s Day actually rolls around! Hope to see you there! _

_ ~ Link, Hero of the Winds, New Hyrule, and Royal Engineer _

━━━O━━━

Time pinched the bridge of his nose as he read the invitation. Wind was smiling smugly at the older hero’s obvious discontent.

“How long ago did you send this out?” Wind shrugged.

“Dunno, maybe a week ago.”

“And to how many people?”

Wind stopped and tapped his chin. “Hmm, maybe 40?”

Time prayed to whoever was listening that he have enough patience to deal with this gremlin, pirate child.

“Oh come on, old man, it’s not that big of a deal,” Wild said from his spot on the couch.

“It definitely is Wild. I can’t just have you guys throwing enormous parties at my house without telling me.” Time sighed exasperatedly. Not that his reprimanding was going to stop them. “Fine, let’s just get ready for it. We’ve got about 3 hours until people start arriving. I hope that’s enough time.”

Sky looked around the area and frowned. “We’ll need to have it out in the yard, this place is way too small for anything.”

“Then let’s do it!” Wind shouted as they got to work.

━━━O━━━

The first guest to arrive was, unsurprisingly, Lullaby and Impa. Malon and Time greeted them with hugs and friendly kisses while the other heroes simply shouted their hellos from where they were working. Impa frowned at their lack of decorum.

“Forget it Impa. Their boys, I bet half of them haven’t even had their first kiss,” Lullaby joked playfully. 

“I have!” Warriors shouted.

Time wondered who exactly Wind invited since he hadn’t introduced the sailor or anyone else to his other friends in Castle Town. His question was soon answered when, exactly at 9 pm, a bright white portal appeared at the entrance to the ranch and the rest of the guest stepped out. And it was everyone.

All of their Zelda’s, Warriors’s Impa, the new champions, Aryll, Ravio, Colin and Rusl,  everyone. Time was glad they were having the party outside.

“Oh, we made it!” Sun exclaimed. Sky ran to her and swept his goddess into a loving embrace before planting a kiss on her lips.

“Hey kid,” Teba greeted as he ruffled Wild’s hair with his enormous wings. 

“So many Hylians! It’s very nice to meet you all!” Sidon said brightly.

“Mr. Hero!” Ravio hugged Legend deeply, making the veteran cringe in embarrassment.

“Guess I should start cooking,” Wild mumbled as he glanced uneasily over the crowd. Telma grabbed his shoulder.

“Want some help, kiddo?”

Ashei approached Warriors, looking the captain up and down with thinly veiled distaste. “You some kind of knight, eh?”

Warriors raised an eyebrow in question at the girl’s attitude. “Yea, a captain actually.”

“Psh, think your some kind of big shot, eh? Knights of Hyrule my a-“

Aryll, sensing a fight, decided to use her charms and de-escalate the situation. “Hiya miss! Can I braid your hair?” She tugged on Ashei’s arm until the woman shot Warriors a glare before being led away by Wind’s younger sister.

Wind hopped on the makeshift stage that stood in the center of the enclosed track and loudly cleared his throat. Wild handed him a rolled-up piece of paper which he proceeded to shout through.

“Hello everyone! Thanks for coming to the Nayru’s Day Party! We’re here to party and have fun, so make yourself comfortable and let’s get this show on the road!” A chorus of celebratory cheers sounded from the guest and they soon began the festivities. 

━━━O━━━

The dads soon banded together, exuding an unholy amount of fatherly aura. Everyone who wasn’t a father figure of some sort was warded away by their power. Time, Teba, Legend’s uncle, Rusl, and strangely, the old man who gave Hyrule his first sword sat around a large round table Warriors had dragged out of storage.

“I hope you're taking good care of Wild,” Teba said, his tone gruff. “If anything were to happen to the kid under your care...”

“I would give my life for them, trust me,” Time responded with full confidence. Rusl looked at him with faith.

“I trust ya, you are Twi’s ancestor after all. If anyone can protect him, I’m sure it’s the Hero of Time,” he laughed, slapping Time on his back. The hero nearly fell out of his chair at the force of the slap. Legend’s uncle eyed him carefully.

“Hero of Time huh... doesn’t hold much weight.”

“Oh come on uncle! He may be young, but so is this bird fella,” Rusl gestured toward Teba who gave him an irritated look.

“I’m a Rito-“

“Calm down children,” Hyrule’s random old man said. “You know, it’s dangerous-“

“To go alone,” they all finished for him. The old man only smiled weakly and nodded.

“Yes yes, you have learned well.”

“Fighting Ganon’s forces probably helped with that,” the uncle stated and received hums of agreement from the others. The sharp grumbling of Time’s stomach made the youngest member of the group blush slightly.

“I suppose you're hungry,” Teba pointed out.

“Hi hungry, I’m Rusl,” Twilight’s father joked, receiving snickers from the other fathers and groans from anyone who had was in the unfortunate position of being able to hear.

━━━O━━━

“I think this calls for a war,” Dot growled at the older woman. Impa’s face remained neutral but her eyes glinted with mischievous.

“Anytime, shrimp.”

“Who ya calling shrimp, old lady?!” Fable shouted from atop her small, sad heap of snow that she called an igloo.

“And just who might you be calling an old lady, young woman?” Impa... wait, there were two Impas? They looked almost identical besides, no they were identical. 

“Are they challenging us, Impas?” Artemis said as she approached with Warriors flanking her side. He glanced over the group of children and teens, smirking at their meager forces. 

“We sure are!” Aryll declared, stepping away from Ashei. She placed her hands defiantly on her hips. “And we’ll beat all of you adults, easy peasy!” Colin somehow doubted the validity of that statement but he still joined in with the others who cheered, besides Ashei who was watching in silent amusement. Warriors barred his teeth at the children.

“You're on!”

And so, the snowball, fight of the century began. Fable and Dot were charged with building and sustaining the wall they’d use for cover, while Ashei made ammunition for Colin and Aryll. They two took defensive positions crouched behind the wall, occasionally peering over to try and spot the other team’s positions. They waited with baited breath for Yunobo, the match referee, to blow the whistle. And when he did, the slaughter began.

Colin and Aryll sprung from their positions behind the wall and unleashed a torrent of snowballs at the opposite side of the battlefield. But they didn’t hit anything but air. They turned to each other in confusion before they spotted it. Shadows on both sides of their impenetrable fortress. They were practically flying through the air, the Impas flanking the princesses and children, throwing an unknowable amount of snowballs at them. The two princesses fell, with Dot’s final message being, “change the world.”

Ashei, Colin, and Aryll managed to escape behind the ‘igloo’ Fable had constructed earlier, catching their breaths. Or at least they tried to, but Warriors materialized before them and nailed Colin square in the face, knocking the boy out cold.

“Got you!” The supposed ‘hero’ cackled and the two girls ran away.

“It’s over Aryll, they’re too strong!” Ashei called. Aryll refused to accept defeat. 

“No, it’s not! We can still do this! We’ve just got to get to their base and we’ll be fine!”

And so they ran across the battlefield, narrowly avoiding shots from all sides. That was until Ashei received a hit to the leg. She fell over with a scream of feigned pain, clutching at the spot the snowball had collided with her clothes. She breathed heavily and pushed Aryll away from her.

“Go! Win this!” Aryll ran with tears welling in her eyes. She didn’t want to lose! But her comrades were falling around her, and it seemed she had no hope left. She stopped in her tracks and spun on her heel, confronting the three attackers head-on. Aryll was done running. It was now or never. 

She pulled out some snowballs from the pouch that contained the ice rod Fable stole from Legend for this very fight. The Impas and Warriors were sprinting straight for her, blind to the girl’s preparations. When they got close enough, she channeled the spirit of the hero and perfectly landed every shot clean on their faces. They were out. Now only Artemis was left. 

The commander walked out of the darkness behind Aryll’s former fort. She shook aside the memories of her fallen friends. She would avenge them here. The princess held a single snowball in her hand, keeping it by her side. Aryll dropped the few she was holding and had one, mimicking her movements. A standoff. They each waited for Yunobo‘s signal. Aryll ignored the wind that stung her eyes. Her only target was Artemis.

“Now!” Yunobo shouted.

Aryll threw the snowball as hard she could, and Artemis did the same. It seemed time slowed for a moment as the girl watched the two white balls sail through the air. When it resumed, she was knocked back by the contact it made with her arm. But Artemis grasped at her chest in mock pain and shock, stumbling backward before falling over completely. Silence fell over the battlefield as everyone took in what just happened.

“WE WON!!” Colin shouted and the rest of Aryll’s army joined in the celebration. Artemis pushed herself up with a smile as the Impas and Warriors joined her at her side.

“You did wonderfully, Aryll, you truly are an excellent warrior,” she spoke. Aryll blushed and smiled. She already knew that, but it was always good to hear.

━━━O━━━

Flora sat alone against a tree. Even though she looked lonely and bored, if you asked her, she’d insist adamantly she was having fun before proceeding to try and explain the medicinal benefits of cooking bokoblin teeth into everyday meals. Basically, she felt a little out of place. Everyone was having so much fun, but all she wanted to do was read or do some research. But she came because her knight was here, and she promised to always stay by his side. So Flora tapped away at her Sheikah Slate, ignoring the sound of laughter from the crowd. Just then, the sound of footsteps on snow made her look up to see a young man with glasses and auburn hair approaching nervously. 

“He- Hello,” he stuttered. “I was wondering if perhaps I could sit here and write in my research journal?”

Flora’s ears perked up at the word. She nodded and scoffed over to give him some space against the tree. He mumbled a quick thank you before sitting down and writing. Flora peeked over his shoulder to try and see the contents and he noticed.

“I do believe I haven’t introduced myself,” he said, sticking out his hand for a shake. “I’m Shad. I research the legendary civilization of the Oocca in the City in the Sky.” Flora took his hand.

“I’m Flora, or Zelda. I’m...” She hesitated before making up her mind. “Also a researcher and scientist. My current pursuit is uncovering the hidden caverns and tunnels that lie below Hyrule Castle in my time.”

Shad’s eyes sparkled at the interesting topic. “How interesting! Would you mind telling me more?”

Flora’s eyes widened before a smile settled on her face. “Of course, but only if you tell me about the Oocca first.”

And so the two scholars chatted up a storm.

━━━O━━━

Groose eyed the strange creature with trepidation. He’d never seen anything like it. It was large, bigger than him, brown with white hair. It was silky despite its muscular form, and it seems sentient. Groose had never seen anything like it, and it reminded him a bit of his loftwing, Groosie. Twilight adjusted the saddle on its ack and smiled at Groose.

“Well, what’re ya waitin for? Hop on up.” He held his hand out. 

“What is that thing?” He asked the hero. Twilight huffed a bit and crossed his arms.

“A horse. Her name’s Epona,” he stroked her hair. “She won’t bite ya, I promise.”

Groose observed the ‘horse’ carefully. He didn’t want to look weak in front of this hero guy, and he knew Sky had probably done something like this before. He couldn’t let the shrimp beat him after all. He hoisted himself onto the creature, splaying out on his stomach before slumping over. Twilight tried to suppress a giggle, before going to help him. Once Groose was settled, Twilight grabbed the reigns of Epona and led her around the track slowly.

“When you ride, you wanna keep at least one hand on the reigns the whole time,” Twilight rambled while Groose only half listened. “You're not gonna be fightin’, but it’s always good to have one hand free. Also, if ya wanna go faster, dig your heels lightly into her sides and she’ll go speeding right off.”

“Alright alright tattoo man, let’s test this baby out,” Groose said excitedly. Twilight raised an eyebrow before shrugging and letting go of the reigns.

“Ready?” He asked one more time before Groose nodded. He smiled and slapped Epona’s rear, sending the mare off to the races. Groose used his iron grip to hold on as best as he could, but this was nothing like flying on top of Groosie. This thing was bumpy and hard and hurt his butt. He could only hope his perfect red mane was still intact. Twilight appeared by his side, riding on top of a similarly colored horse and grinning like a fool.

“How bout a little race?” He pointed to the entrance of the ranch. “The first one there wins!”

Groose didn’t need any further instruction. He dug his heels lightly into Epona’s sides like Twilight instructed and she sprinted even harder. He heard Twilight laughing away behind him as Groose sped off. He had to admit, the rush of riding this thing did feel awesome. He got a bit carried away though and dug his heels too hard into Epona. She stopped hard in her tracks, rearing back and sending Groose flying off the horse. She stomped and waved her head in irritation at her rider, beginning to walk back to her stable. Twilight arrived and quickly helped Groose up, who was red with embarrassment.

“Told ya to do it lightly,” he smirked. Groose glared at him.

“Still would’ve beaten you, tattoo shrimp.”

Twilight looked at him with confusion before blowing an amused raspberry. This guy was a handful.

━━━O━━━

Linkle and Dot watched the duo from behind a tree stump. Hyrule was listening to an animated Beedle ramble on about a rare, golden Rhino Beetle. The hero presented the salesman with a beetle he himself found on one of his travels and Beedle nearly fainted with joy. All Linkle and Dot had to do now was wait.

“Are you sure you set it up in the right place?” Dot asked from her side. She waved a hand at her to try and brush aside her worry but it didn’t work. “You placed it right above the pile of leaves, right? Because if not-“

Linkle gave her a look of exasperation, but Dot did not budge. She crossed her arms in front of her and she returned it with an eye roll. She wasn’t sure why everyone thought she was directionally challenged. She’d gotten to the party just fine after Sun had to fish her out of an enormous crater she somehow managed to fall into. But Linkle was certain their prank would work. It was just a matter of time until they triggered the-

“What in the nine hells!” A voice shouted from behind. Everyone in the small area turned to see the inter-dimensional mailman covered in purple and green paint. Linkle saw the pile of leaves and realized her mistake. She saw an extremely disappointed and irritated Dot tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. Hyrule cleared his throat loudly and got both of their attentions.

He pointed between him and Beedle. “Was that for us?”

━━━O━━━

“Hm, a scarf perhaps?” Dawn suggested, taking in their snowman. Legend hummed in agreement, reaching into his bag and pulling out an old, tattered scarf he had.

“You just happened to have this lying around?”

He rolled his eyes and stayed silent for a few moments before responding. “I’ve got a lot of things from my adventures. I just forgot to take that out of my bag.”

Dawn let out a sharp breath of air and shook her head. “You remind me too much of myself kid.”

“Kid?” Legend said, cocking an eyebrow. “I bet I’m not much older than you, hag.”

Dawn practically snorted at the comment. “And your nothing like the legends.”

“There’s a reason why they're called legends and not history,” he grumbled while mindlessly searching through his bag. Dawn placed a hand on his forearm to stop him, resulting in a harsh jolt from the veteran. He stared at her with bewilderment while she took a moment to prepare herself to speak.

“You need to start letting others in, Legend. Otherwise, you’ll end up all alone and with so many regrets.”

He looked away and withdrew his arm. “Who’s to say I’m not already?”

Dawn sighed and shook her head. “Your still so young, you have your whole life ahead of you.” She paused when she saw Legend trying his hardest to block her out. It was time for desperate measures. Dawn decided to use her queen voice.

“Listen,” she commanded, immediately gaining his attention. “If I can turn my life and the lives of everyone in my kingdom around for the better, I’m sure you can do the same. We have seen far, far too much in our short lives,” she said, allowing the tiredness she’d been feeling for the past 8 years since Hyrule first appeared deep into her voice. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to live for. I want you to make me a promise, Legend.”

Dawn grabbed his hand. He tried to pull away but she held it firmly until he gave up. “Promise me you will die with no regrets. That you will die surrounded by those you care about, doing what you love. Can you do that?”

Legend blinked at her for a few seconds, the gears in his mind turning rapidly as he tried to process her request. When her grip tightened and her face grew more desperate, he gave up trying to reason and simply nodded and whispered yes. She let go, satisfied, and turned back to the snowman.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t be speaking to my direct ancestor in such a way,” Dawn joked, making Legend scoff.

“You should be showing me some respect. I am a legendary hero and the prince of Hyrule, after all.” 

━━━O━━━

Wind was in an enviable dilemma. He was in love with two girls, or women even though they were hardly old enough to be called such. His first love, Tetra, actually Princess Zelda, pirate captain, Queen of New Hyrule, and his best friend. And now Riju, the Chief of the Gerudo in Wild’s Hyrule. Wind didn’t know what to do and he felt like he was going crazy trying to solve his situation. 

Luckily for the other two but sadly for Wind, they became great friends and decided to drag the hero along with them as they went shield surfing. Riju of course brought along Patricia, the best sandseal in the world, while Tetra snatched three shields from Time’s barn when she thought no one was looking. The three headed to the top of the hill and decided to have a race to the bottom. Wind barely heard their conversation as fretted in his head until Tetra punched him on his shoulder.

“Still in there Windy?” She asked him.

“Did you hear the rules?” Riju cocked her head to the side, sending a new wave of affection through Wind’s heart. He grasped at his chest like he had a heart attack while the two girls sent each other confused looks. He finally nodded and grabbed his shield, readying himself.

“Ok on the count of three!” Riju announced. “One, Two-“

“Three!” Tetra shouted, taking off before the others could even realize what was happening. After a silent curse under her breath, the Gerudo took off surfing with a laugh, chasing after the cheering pirate. Wind also jumped into action, following close behind Riju as they rode down the hill.

“Bet you can’t do this!” The chief announced before hopping into the air with her shield and doing a perfect spin. Tetra scoffed up ahead.

“Watch this!” She proceeded to perform a flip in mid-air, landing easily on her feet. Wind blushed as the attention turned to him. He didn’t know any tricks, but he sure as hell was not about to embarrass himself in front of both his crushes. 

“Get ready!” He exclaimed before grabbing the edge of the shield and jumping off the ground while holding it. He did two backflips while suspended, satisfied as he heard the gasps of awe from Tetra and Riju who watched on. Now he just had to stick the landing. But that was easier said than done.

The sailor promptly fell over and went rolling down the hill, crashing into the foot of it below. He felt his cheeks burn hot with embarrassment and wondered if his face alone would melt the snow. Wind was pulled out of his thoughts when a rough hand yanked him out of his position and brushed him off.

“Well, that was shit,” Tetra laughed. Riju hid a smile behind a dainty brown hand.

“Yes it was,” she affirmed before placing a hand on top of Wind’s, surely making his face turn crimson. “But you made a great try.”

Tetra slapped his back and grinned. “Nice job, sailor.”

“Th- thanks,” Wind managed to stutter our before he collapsed from the whirlwind of emotions he’d been feeling all evening.

━━━O━━━

Four sprinted through the war zone. He twisted and dodged enemy attacks of thrown bottles easily, hastily hurrying towards his destination. If he didn’t make it in time, all would be lost, that wasn’t an option: he wouldn’t fail his friends. 

“Four, hurry!” Wild yelled from across the area. Four rushed to his side and knelt beside the hero, who was on his knees.

“Wild!” Four breathed. He looked his friend over. He seemed ok, but he knew the champion was used to hiding his wounds.

“I’m alright, just burned myself.” Wild stood and pushed his hand under the cold water in the sink. “I need you to get these cupcakes over to Malon. They need to be frosted and taken outside ASAP.”

Four nodded and put on the oven mitts before grabbing the tray. He walked briskly but carefully across the kitchen, placing the cupcakes on the counter next to the bush Malon. She took one glance at them and nodded thanks to Four. Wind’s Grandma then called to him and he ran to her station.

“Please young man, can you take this pot outside?”

“Of course,” Four said with a smile.

“Hey, Four, come help me with these drinks!” Telma called.

“Four, I need you to bring me more flour!” Wild asked.

“Can you help me cut some of these ingredients?” Malon said.

Four sighed and grabbed the Four Sword. Time to live up to his name. He split, Vio attending to Malon, helping her chop up some vegetables, Green racing to take an enormous pot of soup that was near twice his size outside, Blue went to help Telma squeeze fruits into the drink, and Red quickly took bags of flour to Wild. The four continued this dance until they had to rejoin in order to heave an enormous bag of popcorn across the track and Four nearly collapsed from exhaustion. A shadow stood over him, blocking out the light from the lanterns hung about the area.

“Need some help there?” The voice asked with slight amusement. Four rolled his eyes.

“Yes, thanks Dot.” 

“Of course anything for-“

“Hey, you!” An unfamiliar voice called out from across the area. The two turned to see the inter-dimensional mailman making a mad dash toward Dot, covered in what looked like paint. Dot dropped Four back on the ground.

“Shit,” she whispered before running away. Four watched the two before sighing and picking up the bag. He’d just have to do it himself.

━━━O━━━

Ravio fiddled with his ring constantly, and it was beginning to make Sidon nervous. 

“My friend, is something the matter?” Ravio looked startled at the sudden question before shaking his head and grinning.

“Oh of course not! Everything’s great, actually, I’m just happy is all.” He dropped his hands to his lap, finally stopping his fidgeting. “I’m glad to see that Mr. Hero is having such a great time. I was worried about him, but he seems good.”

Sidon looked over at Legend, who was pushing himself off the floor and throwing handfuls of snow at a laughing Dawn. 

“Your right, he looks quite pleased,” Aurora confirmed. She looked over at Hyrule, who was helping Legend up and a brush of pink fell upon her face. Ilia noticed.

“Is our princess maybe in lov-?” she began before Aurora slapped a hand over the older girl’s mouth. Sidon and Ravio have a hearty chuckle before Aurora lowered her hand and pouted. 

“Sorry, didn’t realize it was a secret,” Ilia said with a wink. 

“Indeed, I didn’t think it was, considering...” he went back to twisting his ring. “Well, considering I am as well.”

“You're in love with Hyrule?” Aurora asked with full seriousness. They sat in silence for a beat before the other three burst into laughter.

“Not Hyrule,” Ravio finally managed after wiping tears from his eyes. “Mr. Hero, of course.”

Sidon glanced at his ring. “Are you two married?”

“N-not yet,” Ravio said, the tips of his ears turning red. “He gave me this ring as a promise that we would once he was done adventuring. Though he said that wouldn’t be for a long time, I’m willing to wait.”

“I understand,” Aurora smiled. “When you know you’ve found the one, you can wait 100 years.”

Ilia sighed and placed her head in her hands. “But what if they had someone else and now they don’t know what to do once they're gone?”

“Then you help them, even if they push you away,” Ravio responded. “You know one hero, you know them all, trust me. Just keep trying and they’ll eventually let you in.”

Sidon grinned brightly, his teeth sparkling in the lantern lights. “I’ll take your advice, my friend!”

“I knew it!” Ilia shouted, sticking her hand out to Ravio who reluctantly placed a red rupee in her palm. “I knew you had a crush on Wild!”

Sidon blushed blue. “Was I that transparent?” 

Ilia smirked and crossed her arms. “Trust me, fish boy, it’s more obvious than ya think.”

━━━O━━━

As the night began to wind to a close, the clock having struck midnight a few minutes ago, Lullaby and Kass took the stage.

“Ok, everyone! Grab your partners and get ready to dance!” Lullaby announced. The crowd soon cleared and allowed enough room for a dance area while Kass and Lullaby discussed a song. They eventually settled on something upbeat and went with the Lost Woods Song, knowing it was something anyone could dance to. The two began playing their instruments, Kass on the accordion and Lullaby on the ocarina. 

And so the pairs took to the dance floor. Sky took Sun by the waist and the two danced beautifully in an impromptu arrangement that they performed with such grace and intricacy it looked practiced. They planted kisses and held each other gazes whenever they could, ignoring the crowd and focusing on only each other.

Time and Malon were less refined, but their feelings for each other were palpable during their dance. The older couple had a merry time laughing and turning around each other. Colin, after being ushered on by Twilight, bashfully asked Aryll to dance, which she excitedly accepted. Neither really knew what they were doing, so they just hopped and skipped around one another in time with the music, much to Wind’s annoyance. His sour mood was quickly forgotten when Tetra dragged the sailor out onto the dance floor and performed a simple jig that made him turn red.

Ravio was inspired by Tetra’s boldness and did the same with Legend, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him to the dance floor. Legend’s face burned bright red as Ravio grabbed him by the hands and tried to perform a waltz with the reluctant hero. The corner of his lips twitched upward every time he heard Ravio laugh. Wild danced with Sidon until the Zora’s face turned so blue the champion thought his friend was going to be sick and forced him to sit down. He instead offered his hand to Flora, who quickly accepted and tried to work her refined moves into Wild’s erratic steps. 

Hyrule nervously asked Aurora to dance, tugging at his tunic the whole time he spoke. Her eyes lit up with joy as she quickly accepted and the two entwined themselves, doing a simple court dance the princess had taught him a few months ago. Dawn felt pride swell in her chest as she watched her favorite couple finally getting closer. 

The second to last pair to enter the dance (right before the two Impas began doing something that looked more like a battle than a dance) was Ilia and Twilight. Ilia thought she was dreaming when he wordlessly offered his hand to her as she sat and watched the others in contentment. She let him lead her to the floor and bow before her, to which she curtsied. Twilight tapped his back foot twice on the ground, indicating they’d perform the traditional dance of Ordon. Ilia copied his taps and they initiated the dance, spinning around each other, not daring to touch but getting so close to it she could practically feel his heart beating against her chest. Just as the music swelled, Twilight made contact with her, putting his hands around her waist and hoisting her into the air as he spun one last time. He finally brought her back down and closer than ever, staring into her eyes as she did to his, barely being able to breathe. They pulled away and bowed, finishing their dance as the crowd cheered loudly and celebrated. Twilight grabbed her hand and smiled, making her blush but Ilia nonetheless returned the expression.

After a few more songs and dances, it was well past 2 am and time for the guest to return to their homes. Their goodbyes were bright and loud, knowing they’d see each other again. Linkle and Dot grumbled ad they stepped through the portal, still covered in paint from the mailman’s revenge, while Ashei, Groose, and Telma locked arms and sang drunkenly. Colin and Aryll had a teary goodbye, neither of the children wanting to depart from their new friend, while the Impas simply nodded at each other and one walked through the portal. No one was sure if that was Artemis’s or Lullaby’s. Sun kissed Sky on the cheek one last time before waving and stepping through, officially ending Wind’s Nayru’s Day Party. 

“So, How was it?” Wind asked the group of heroes and Malon. Time smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.

“It was the best party I’ve ever had.”

━━━O━━━

Time gently moved Malon’s arm from his chest and stood from their bed quietly, not wanting to wake Navi who was lying sound asleep in her crib. He tiptoed out of the main house and softly pushed open the barn doors. The early morning light had yet to reach over the house, so he didn’t worry about letting too much light in. 

The boys were piled on top of one another in positions that didn’t look all that comfortable. Wild was splayed out in all directions on his back while Wind was draped over his abdomen like a table cloth. Hyrule had crossed his legs with the sleeping champion and had one hand resting on Legend’s chest. The veteran himself rested his head next to Warriors, who was holding both Four and Twilight in a tight hug. Sky held Wild’s head gently against his chest like a pillow.

Time spotted Wind’s pictobox which he had thankfully left in a pile of hay by the door and picked it up. He snapped a photo of his sleeping boys and smiled at the adorable image, burning it into his mind forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea, this is my favorite. It was hard to write, since fitting 30+ characters into one chapter and giving them all speaking lines is a little hard. And I had to cut SO many characters or else this would be 10k+ words and take forever to write. But because of that, this is the longest thing I’ve ever written.  
> But that's it! See ya!


	13. Gift Giving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys open their gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter!

The boys sat in a semicircle around the fireplace and waited for Time and Malon to return with their gifts. They’d been stored away until the day had arrived to prevent any early opening, so they had no idea what they were getting. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Malon and Time arrived carrying a large bag filled with gifts between them.

“Alright, who’s ready for some gifts?” Malon announced, receiving yells of celebration response. She and Time handed out gifts to everyone and watched as they observed and started unwrapping.

“Who are you getting gifts from?” Wind asked, peering over Warriors shoulder at the pile of boxes and letters at his feet.

“Some kids at the orphanage, my sister and best friend, Artemis, and some of my former soldiers.” Warriors smiled at a letter that opened to reveal a childish drawing of what looked like him and Linkle and a child. “I honestly wasn’t expecting anything, so this was a pleasant surprise.”

“Me neither,” Legend mumbled as he tore open a gift. A small wooden box with red and gold detailing was revealed. The inside was covered in velvet with a small mirror on the top, and a short message from Fable that Legend blushed while reading and quickly tucked away.

“What’s that?” Four asked.

“A jewelry box. My sister got it for me.”

“It’s really beautifully made,” Sky commented, eyeing the box with a hint of playful envy. “Sun gave me this.” He presented a thick book with a leather cover that simply read ‘Notes’.

“She got you a shabby looking book?” Legend questioned as he dug into his next gift.

“No,” Sky paused to roll his eyes. “It’s a book of music she compiled. She wrote most of it herself, but some of these I learned on the Isle of Songs.”

“That’s nice of her Sky,” Twilight grinned, patting his friend's back reassuringly. “The village poured their money together to get me this.” He motioned toward the large rectangle gift lying before him.

“Well, are you going to open it or stare at it all day?” Warriors joked. Twilight glared at him before ripping off the wrapping and opening the box. Inside was a beautifully crafted bridle and saddle that was different shades of dark blue, black, and orange. Twilight gasped at the sight and touched it gently.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Now that’s a gift,” Time remarked from his spot on the couch. “They really love you there.” Twilight smiled and nodded, his eyes shining with tears of joy.

“Ok, my turn!” Wind shouted. His gift was large, even bigger than him. It took a bit of help from Warriors to get it opened, but when they did, they saw a large, standing telescope that was painted a deep blue and had white details depicting the sea and islands on its side.

“Oh my fucking goddess this shit is awesome!” He looked through the lens and took a moment to walk around and admire the tool. “This is the coolest gift in the world! Where the hell did Aryll and grandma find something like this?”

“That is pretty cool, but not as cool as,” Four pauses and lifted up a hammer, “this!”

Silence descended over the room, only to be broken by Wild asking, “and that is?”

“This is a brand new hammer for my forge! It’s top of the line blacksmithing equipment and cost a fortune. You can’t find it anywhere, but somehow, my grandpa found one!” He smiled fondly at the tool, his eyes flicking between different colors. “I can’t thank him enough for this.”

Legend saw Hyrule staring uneasily at the letter and box that sat unopened in front of him. He tapped the boy’s shoulder and pointed to them. Hyrule sighed and shrugged as he placed a hand on top and staring at it with hesitation before Legend gave his shoulder a soft nudge. The traveler grinned a little and first broke the seal on the letter, resulting in small fireworks bursting from the paper and a tiny sound of trumpets emerging.

“Dawn always was one for theatrics,” Hyrule said fondly. He read the card with a smile before putting it down and opening the other gift. This box was similar to Legend’s, this time being painted light pink with gold lettering on the top that simply said ‘Link’. Hyrule opened it and two mechanical figures resembling Hyrule and Aurora danced hand in hand in a repeated circle in the center while gentle music that he swore he’d heard somewhere before played. Small porcelain flowers that were various shades of green, blue, and pink were scattered around their feet.

“Guessing that’s from your Aurora,” Legend teased. Hyrule turned bright red at the phrasing of the sentence but still kept his eyes trained on the two.

“And what’d you get Wild?” Wind jumped dramatically onto the cushion by the champion’s side and looked into the book the older boy was pouring over. “A photo album?”

Wild nodded brightly. “It’s got a ton of the photos Flora took before the Calamity. Oh and look,” he reached to his side and presented the other gift, “she got me new gloves! I really needed these.”

“Dusk got me some art supplies,” Twilight mentioned, showing off the case of pencils and paints.

“Tetra just sent me a bag of rupees and a plushie of a Korok.” Wind tossed the toy around for a bit. “Where’d she even get one?”

“Don’t worry sailor, Dot also sent me a toy, but mine is way cuter.” Four held out his Minish plushie proudly and the others had to admit it was adorable.

“Wait,” Warriors interjected, “aren’t we all forgetting someone?”

Everyone turned their attention to Time, who was chatting casually with Malon. The sudden shift in focus caused him to turn and see everyone staring at him.

“Yes?”

“Where are your gifts?” Wild demanded.

“I don’t get any.”

Sky gasped in shock while Twilight shook his head. “Why not?”

“Because I’m far too old for that. Gifts are only given to children.”

“Bullshit! Everyone deserves a gift!” Wind stood and crossed his arms as he spoke.

“I hate to agree with the sailor,” Legend said earning a scoff from Wind, “But he’s right. You should get a gift too.”

Time sighed and raked a hand through his hair before grinning. “Being with you guys and having Navi is the best gift I could ask for. Trust me, I don’t need anything else.”

“Then I guess you don’t want this,” Four said appearing at the older hero’s side. In his hand was a wrapped, spherical object. Time took it cautiously from his hands and set it on the table between him and Malon, who was watching him with joy. The rest of the group huddled around him and waited as he opened the present.

It was a purple snow globe with stars that were suspended all across the top like a starry sky. The bottom of it was a mirror that reflected the top wonderfully and in the middle was a small diamond that caught the light and transformed it into a rainbow of colors. It reminded him of the Astral Observatory, but in the best way possible. Time’s breath caught at the sight and his eye widened in awe.

“Well,” Hyrule said, “What do you think?”

Time set down the snow globe, glanced at Malon’s beaming face, before turning back to the group.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever received.” He smiled warmly. “Thank you all.”

Everyone erupted into cheers as Malon and Wild went to the kitchen only to return with trays of hot chocolate and cookies. They handed them out one by one, making sure everyone got the drink that was tailored specially to their diets and taste. They dug in greedily before comparing how many rupees they all got from their gifts and singing  Nayru's Day carols. Time watched with a growing sense of comfort as his boys sat peacefully around the fire, enjoying Nayru’s Day together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I lied, last chapter wasn't it. This is (which is why the note was so short and non-conclusive). Thanks to everyone who read this crazy, really long, difficult to write series. I had a ton of fun writing it and even more reading some of your comments. I hope everyone's Christmas is safe and fun (if you celebrate it) and happy New Year if I don't see you again. See ya next time!
> 
> PS: the song playing in Hyrule’s music box is ‘Princess Zelda’ from the Adventure of Link

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked it, feel free to check out some of my other stuff. If not, (hopefully) see you next time!
> 
> I've got a tumblr now that updates occasional fanfics, WIPs, and fanart. Check it out if you want: http://zaypay.tumblr.com/


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